Edward
Clark
PhD

Education & Training:
BA- Psychology and Zoology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (1969)
PhD- Microbiol/Immunology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (1977)
Postdoctoral Fellow- Immunology, University College London, London, England (1977-1979)
Research Interests:
A major goal of Dr. Clark’s lab has been to define receptors and ligands regulating B cells and dendritic cells (DCs) and to help translate findings for use in clinical immunology. His lab helped discover and characterize human B cell/DC-associated surface molecules like CD20, CD22, CD40, CD80 (B7.1), CD150 (SLAM) and CD180 (RP105). Recently, the lab has focused on defining C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) on DCs including DCAL2, which is a useful marker to identify and isolate DC subsets. In order to assess the function of CLRs and their possible use for vaccine development, Dr. Clark’s lab has coupled antigens (Ags) to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for CLRs expressed on DC subsets. The Ag-mAb conjugates are inoculated into mice as a kind of ‘antigen-delivery system’, which enables Ags to be selectively targeted to a particular DC subset, which then responses and programs an appropriate, protective immune response. Targeting antigens to DCIR2 or CD180, in particular, induces strong and rapid antibody responses and has great potential in platforms for vaccines.
PubMed:
Publications:
Selected-
Porakishvili N, Vispute K, Steele AJ, Rajakaruna N, Kulikova N, Tsertsvadze T, Nathwani A, Damle RN, Clark EA, Rai KR, Chiorazzi N, Lydyard PM.Rewiring of sIgM-mediated intracellular signaling through the CD180 Toll-like receptor. Mol Med. 2015 Jan 14. doi: 10.2119/molmed.2014.00265. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 25611435
Chappell CP, Giltiay NV, Draves KE, Chen CK, Hayden-Ledbetter MS, Shlomchik MJ, Kaplan DH, Clark EA. Targeting antigens through blood dendritic cell 2 (BCDA2) on plasmacytoid dendritic cells promotes immunologic tolerance, J Immunol 192:5789-5801, 2014.
Giordano D, Li C, Draves KE, Hohl T, Clark EA. Nitric oxide regulates B cell activating factor (BAFF) expression and T cell-independent antibody responses, J Immunol 193:1110-1120, 2014.
Clark EA. Perspective: A short history of the B cell-associated surface molecule CD40. Frontiers Immunol 5:472, doi:10.3389/fimmu.2014.00472, 2014.
Giltiay NV, Chappell CP, Sun X, Kolhatkar N, Teal TH, Kim J, Tanka L, Buechler MB, Hamerman JA, Imanishi-Kari T, Clark EA, Elkon KB. Overexpression of toll-like receptor 7 promotes cell-intrinsic expansion and autoantibody production by transitional T1 B cells, J Exp Med 210:2773-89, 2013.