Igor I. Kuzin, M.D.

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Dr. Kuzin is currently working on two major research projects. The goal of the first one is to elucidate the mechanisms that regulate expression and recombination of immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) genes. Specifically, he and his are interested in the role of enhancer specificity in the IgH locus regulation. There are several enhancer elements within IgH locus. One of the best characterized is intronic Em enhancer, which plays a role in regulation of gene transcription, VDJ recombination, somatic hypermutation, and immunoglobulin class switching. In their studies, to address the role of enhancer specificity in the regulation of IgH locus activity, they have created transgenic mice bearing either a deletion of the Em core element or replacement of the same element with the strong, ubiquitous SV40 transcriptional enhancer. The phenotype of these transgenic mice is currently under investigation.

The goal of the second project is to develop an artificial in vitro system for the induction of antibody immune response by cultivated human lymphocytes. They use specially designed bioreactors in which human lymphocytes isolated from donor tonsils are propagated, and explore various conditions that would be optimal for the induction of primary and secondary antibody immune responses to a variety of antigens. These studies have potential clinical application.

Current Appointments

• Senior Instructor - Department of Medicine (SMD)