Theresa T. Lu, MD, PhD

Theresa Lu holds the St. Giles Chair for Research in the HSS Research Institute, is a faculty member in Pediatric Rheumatology and in Rheumatology at HSS, and is Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and Professor Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine. She is also currently Co-Director of the Weill Cornell PhD Program in Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis. Dr. Lu received her MD and PhD from Yale University, trained in Pediatrics at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and completed her fellowship in Pediatric Rheumatology at the University of California San Francisco. She completed her PhD training with Joseph Madri at Yale and her postdoc training with Jason Cyster at UCSF. She has received numerous awards, including the American College of Rheumatology Young Investigator Award, Weill Cornell Teaching and Mentoring Award, and induction into the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Henry Kunkel Society for immune disease research. Dr. Lu's goal is to better understand and treat lupus and other rheumatic diseases while also supporting the growth and development of the next generation of scientists.

Research

The immune circuit in disease

The Lu Lab studies how the immune system interacts with tissues to limit or promote autoimmune and musculoskeletal diseases. There is a circuitry whereupon injury or infection, the affected tissue sends signals to lymphoid tissues such as lymph nodes, which are the sites of T and B cell activation. T and B cells in lymph nodes may become activated by these signals causing lymph node swelling, and then migrate from the lymph nodes to the affected tissue. There, they may help to control the infection but are also capable of inadvertently causing tissue destruction. In autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as lupus, tissues such as the skin are more prone to injury to begin with, and there is activation of T and B cells that destroy tissues. We want to better understand the functions of the component parts of this circuitry as well as how the component parts interact to yield health versus disease. For example, we are asking 1) why tissues in disease are more prone to injury and 2) how signals from affected tissues modulate the lymph node microenvironment to regulate the activity of T and B cells.

We address the questions from a number of perspectives, including 1) lymph node vascular-stromal microenvironment that controls T and B cells in autoimmune and musculoskeletal conditions, 2) Langerhans (immune) cell protection of the skin in lupus photosensitivity ( a skin sensitivity to sunlight), 3) lymphatic dysfunction in disease, and 4) the role of immune cells in tissue repair and regeneration in fibrosis.

Our work has the potential to provide more insight into fundamental mechanisms of health and disease and to lead to better treatment of rheumatic and orthopedic conditions.

If you are interested in joining the Lu Lab, please send cover letter, CV, and contacts for 3 references to lut@hss.edu.

Please visit the Theresa Lu Lab page to see our publications and learn more about our lab and our work.

Research Interests

Lupus
Photosensitivity of skin
Lymphatics
Lymph node stromal cells
Fibroblastic reticular cells
Vasculature
Immune cell-tissue interactions

Extramural Grant Funding

NIH R01 AI079178
DOD W81XWH-22-1-0627
NIH 1R21AR081493
St. Giles Foundation
A Lasting Mark Foundation
Barbara Volcker Center for Women and Rheumatic Diseases
 

Departments

Specialized Centers

Lupus and APS Center of Excellence

Appointments

Education

BS Yale University
MD, PhD Yale University: PhD in the lab of Joseph Madri, PhD,MD

Residency

Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Fellowship

Pediatric Rheumatology, University of California, San Francisco
Postdoc in the lab of Jason Cyster, PhD

Certification

Pediatric Rheumatology

Awards

Weill Cornell Graduate School 2010 Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring 2010
Induction into the American Society for Clinical Investigation 2011
Henry Kunkel Young Investigator Award, American College of Rheumatology 2011
Induction into the Henry Kunkel Society for immune-disease research 2015
St. Giles Chair for Pediatric Research 2020

State Licensure

Languages

English

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For all publications, please see the PubMed listing.