Expertise
The current focus of the Khan laboratory is to understand cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern immune defense, autoimmunity and lymphomagenesis. Investigations focus on both B cell repertoire and antibody regulation as well as non-conventional functions of B-cells as regulators of innate/inflammatory responses.
A major focus is on understanding how dysregulated signaling in B cells leads to autoimmune diseases such as Systemic erythematosus (SLE), Sjogren’s Syndrome and Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and analyze therapeutic approaches to treat them. To accomplish this, we are studying the role of pro-apoptotic genes of the Bcl-2 family Bim and Bmf and survival and proliferation regulators B-cell activating factor (BAFF) and TLRs and a role for Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) in these signaling processes. Another focus is on the functional specialization of B cell populations into distinct types of immune responders based on the nature of challenging pathogen and location of encounter.
The primary focus of Dr. Khan's research is to understand B lymphocyte homeostasis. His major interest in cancer research is to advance knowledge as to how cell surface receptors including BCR, BAFF-R and TLRs regulate B cell homeostasis.