Calman Prussin, M.D.
Chief, Lymphocyte Biology Unit
Tenure-Track Investigator
Lymphocyte Biology Unit
Dr. Prussin received his M.D. at the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. Following a postdoctoral fellowship in the Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology at NIAID, he completed his allergy and immunology clinical fellowship at NIH (1991 – 1995). In 1996, Dr. Prussin joined the Laboratory of Allergic Diseases as head of the Clinical Allergy Unit. From 2000 to 2007, Dr. Prussin was the associate director of the NIH Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Training Program. In 2007, Dr. Prussin was named chief of the Lymphocyte Biology Unit.
Description of Research Program
Food allergy affects 4 to 6 percent of the U.S. population and, for those affected persons, can cause disruptions of day-to-day activities. Conventional anaphylactic food allergy is mediated by IgE specific to a given food. In contrast, a second group of food allergy-related disorders, termed eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal disorders (EGIDs), has increased in prevalence in the last decade. EGIDs, including eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) and eosinophilic gastroenteritis, are characterized by eosinophilic inflammation of the gut and multiple food hypersensitivities. Anaphylaxis is not a typical feature of EGIDs.
Peanut allergy and EGIDs are respectively IgE- and eosinophil-dominated and provide unique insight into the dysregulated immune processes that are characteristic of food allergy. Current laboratory studies are focused on characterizing the role of food allergen-specific T cells in alternatively driving IgE-dominant versus eosinophil-dominant food allergy. The polychromatic flow cytometry techniques developed to detect food allergen-specific T-cell responses in these pathogenesis studies will be used in future studies of immmunomodulatory therapies against these disorders.
Human allergen-specific T cells are the product of persistent and recurrent antigen exposure and provide unique insights into Th2 biology and the role of Th2 cells in human disease. Current studies use polychromatic flow cytometry and molecular biology to examine the regulation of Th2 cytokine expression in allergen-specific T cells.
Memberships
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (Fellow); Commissioned Officers Association
Editorial Board
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Research Group Members
Sofia Chaudhry, M.D.; Kristin Killoran, Ph.D.; Bhaskar Upadhyaya, Ph.D.; Yuzhi Yin, M.D., Ph.D.; Wei Lu, R.N., M.S.
Major Areas of Research
- Regulation of human Th2 cytokine responses
- Food allergy—pathogenesis and treatment
- Eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal disorders—pathogenesis and treatment
- Immunological therapy of allergic diseases
Selected Recent Publications
To view a complete listing, visit PubMed.
Foroughi S, Foster B, Kim N, Bernardino LB, Scott LM, Hamilton RG, Metcalfe DD, Mannon PJ, Prussin C. Anti-IgE treatment of eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal disorders. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Sep;120(3):594-601.
Foster B, Metcalfe DD, Prussin C. Human dendritic cell 1 and dendritic cell 2 subsets express FcepsilonRI: correlation with serum IgE and allergic asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2003 Dec;112(6):1132-8.
Prussin C, Griffith DT, Boesel KM, Lin H, Foster B, Casale TB. Omalizumab treatment downregulates dendritic cell FcepsilonRI expression. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2003 Dec;112(6):1147-54.
Devouassoux G, Metcalfe DD, Prussin C. Eotaxin potentiates antigen-dependent basophil IL-4 production. J Immunol. 1999 Sep 1;163(5):2877-82.
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