Sascha Rutz - Distinguished Scientist and Director, Cancer Immunology, Research Biology

Sascha Rutz

Distinguished Scientist and Director, Cancer Immunology, Research Biology

"These are exciting times to be an immunologist! We are making rapid advances in our fundamental understanding of how anti-tumor immunity is regulated, and to see firsthand how these collective insights are transforming cancer therapy is deeply satisfying."
15
Years at Genentech
40
Publications at Genentech

I have been studying how T cells regulate and balance their production of pro-inflammatory and immunosuppressive cytokines, with a particular focus on the IL-17 and IL-10 families of cytokines. I joined Genentech as a Postdoc in 2009 and uncovered pathways for the transcriptional regulation of IL-22, a cytokine critical for host defense at mucosal surfaces and tissue repair. I quickly became interested in how the ubiquitin system controls various aspects of T cell biology at the post-translational level, examples of which are the role of the deubiquitinase DUBA as a cell-intrinsic suppressor of IL-17 production, and the essential function of BAP1 for thymic development and proliferation of T cells. In addition to uncovering new biology, I have always been eager to develop and adapt new technologies to study T cell immunity. Recently, the advent of single cell sequencing and CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing has fundamentally changed our ability to monitor and manipulate immune responses.

In 2014, I started my own research program in the Department of Cancer Immunology applying cellular immunology, single cell sequencing, gene-editing, proteomics, and mouse models to study anti-tumor T cell immunity. My group currently focusses on regulatory T cell biology and T cell therapies. I also maintain a strong research interest in the regulation of T cell immunity by the ubiquitin system.

Featured Publication

Optimized RNP transfection for highly efficient CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene knockout in primary T cells.

Journal of Experimental Medicine, ISSN: 15409538 00221007

Akiko Seki; Sascha Rutz