Thomas S. Kupper

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Thomas S. Kupper is an American physician, academic, and clinician. His work with clinical and research experience spans dermatology, cutaneous oncology, and immunology. He is the Thomas B. Fitzpatrick Professor at Harvard Medical School, and chairs the Departments of Dermatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He also leads the Cutaneous Oncology Disease Center at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. [1]

Contents

Education

Thomas Seth Kupper obtained his BA in Chemistry from UCLA. He received his MD from the Yale School of Medicine in 1981. From Yale-New Haven Hospital, he completed a residency in General Surgery, followed by postdoctoral research in Immunology, and a residency in Dermatology. He obtained Board Certification in Dermatology in 1989. [2]

Career

Kupper began his career as Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Yale School of Medicine, then became Associate Professor of Medicine and Pathology at Washington University School of Medicine. He was recruited to Harvard Medical School as the Thomas B. Fitzpatrick Associate Professor of Dermatology. He became full Professor and Division Chief of Dermatology in 1995 and led the transition of Dermatology from Division of Medicine to freestanding independent hospital Department in 2001. [3] [4] [5]

Research

After discovering and describing keratinocyte cytokines in late 1980s/early 1990s, he has spent the past two decades years focusing on skin homing T cells, from reporting the molecular structure of Cutaneous Lymphocyte Antigen [6] to co-discovering that non-inflamed skin contained large numbers of memory T cells. [7] A subset of these are now known as “tissue resident memory T cells” or TRM, and he demonstrated that these T cells 1) can be generated by skin vaccination, [8] 2) provide immune protection in the absence of circulating T cells, [9] 3) have a diverse T cell repertoire mirrored by circulating memory T cells, [10] and 4) utilize unique metabolic strategies to survive in the periphery, [11] and represent a prognostic factor in melanoma. [12] [13] In the diagnosis and treatment of Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma, which he defined as a malignancy of skin resident and circulating T cells. [14] This observation has led to mechanism-based therapies, [1] more precise diagnosis [15] and prognosis. [16] Over the years this work has been supported by a MERIT award from the NIAID, a Transformative R01 Award from the Office of the NIH Director, and multiple R01's from the NIAID, NIAMS, and NCI. [17]

Awards and honors

He was elected as Fellow of the American Association of Academic Scientists and member of the American Academy of Physicians in 2008. He was elected as a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. He won the American Skin Association Autoimmune and Inflammatory Skin Disorders Research Achievement Award in 2014. He is an honorary fellow of the Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology, the Korean Society for Investigative Dermatology, the Swiss Dermatologic Association, and the Austrian Society for Investigative Dermatology. [18] [19]

Publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skin cancer</span> Medical condition involving uncontrolled growth of skin cells

Skin cancers are cancers that arise from the skin. They are due to the development of abnormal cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in humans. There are three main types of skin cancers: basal-cell skin cancer (BCC), squamous-cell skin cancer (SCC) and melanoma. The first two, along with a number of less common skin cancers, are known as nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Basal-cell cancer grows slowly and can damage the tissue around it but is unlikely to spread to distant areas or result in death. It often appears as a painless raised area of skin that may be shiny with small blood vessels running over it or may present as a raised area with an ulcer. Squamous-cell skin cancer is more likely to spread. It usually presents as a hard lump with a scaly top but may also form an ulcer. Melanomas are the most aggressive. Signs include a mole that has changed in size, shape, color, has irregular edges, has more than one color, is itchy or bleeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma</span> Medical condition

Cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma (cSCC), or squamous-cell carcinoma of the skin, also known as squamous-cell skin cancer, is, with basal-cell carcinoma and melanoma, one of the three principal types of skin cancer. cSCC typically presents as a hard lump with a scaly top layer, but it may instead form an ulcer. Onset often occurs over a period of months. Cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma is more likely to spread to distant areas than basal cell cancer. When confined to the outermost layer of the skin, a pre-invasive, or in situ, form of cSCC is known as Bowen's disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acral lentiginous melanoma</span> Medical condition

Acral lentiginous melanoma is an aggressive type of skin cancer. Melanoma is a group of serious skin cancers that arise from pigment cells (melanocytes); acral lentiginous melanoma is a kind of lentiginous skin melanoma. Acral lentiginous melanoma is the most common subtype in people with darker skins and is rare in people with lighter skin types. It is not caused by exposure to sunlight or UV radiation, and wearing sunscreen does not protect against it. Acral lentiginous melanoma is commonly found on the palms, soles, under the nails, and in the oral mucosa. It occurs on non-hair-bearing surfaces of the body, which have not necessarily been exposed to sunlight. It is also found on mucous membranes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alopecia universalis</span> Medical condition

Alopecia universalis(AU), also known as alopecia areata universalis, is a medical condition involving the loss of all body hair, including eyebrows, eyelashes, chest hair, armpit hair, and pubic hair. It is the most severe form of alopecia areata. People with the disease are usually healthy and have no other symptoms and a normal life expectancy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merkel-cell carcinoma</span> Rare and highly aggressive skin cancer

Merkel-cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and aggressive skin cancer occurring in about three people per million members of the population. It is also known as cutaneous APUDoma, primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin, primary small cell carcinoma of the skin, and trabecular carcinoma of the skin. Factors involved in the development of MCC include the Merkel cell polyomavirus, a weakened immune system, and exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Merkel-cell carcinoma usually arises on the head, neck, and extremities, as well as in the perianal region and on the eyelid. It is more common in people over sixty years old, Caucasian people, and males. MCC is less common in children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dermatoscopy</span> Medical examination of the skin

Dermatoscopy also known as dermoscopy or epiluminescence microscopy, is the examination of skin lesions with a dermatoscope. It is a tool similar to a camera to allow for inspection of skin lesions unobstructed by skin surface reflections. The dermatoscope consists of a magnifier, a light source, a transparent plate and sometimes a liquid medium between the instrument and the skin. The dermatoscope is often handheld, although there are stationary cameras allowing the capture of whole body images in a single shot. When the images or video clips are digitally captured or processed, the instrument can be referred to as a digital epiluminescence dermatoscope. The image is then analyzed automatically and given a score indicating how dangerous it is. This technique is useful to dermatologists and skin cancer practitioners in distinguishing benign from malignant (cancerous) lesions, especially in the diagnosis of melanoma.

Memory T cells are a subset of T lymphocytes that might have some of the same functions as memory B cells. Their lineage is unclear.

Psychodermatology is the treatment of skin disorders using psychological and psychiatric techniques by addressing the interaction between mind and skin. Though historically there has not been strong scientific support for its practice, there is increasing evidence that behavioral treatments may be effective in the management of chronic skin disorders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amelanotic melanoma</span> Medical condition

Amelanotic melanoma is a type of skin cancer in which the cells do not make any melanin. They can be pink, red, purple or of normal skin color, and are therefore difficult to diagnose correctly. They can occur anywhere on the body, just as a typical melanoma can.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes</span>

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) are white blood cells that have left the bloodstream and migrated towards a tumor. They include T cells and B cells and are part of the larger category of ‘tumor-infiltrating immune cells’ which consist of both mononuclear and polymorphonuclear immune cells, in variable proportions. Their abundance varies with tumor type and stage and in some cases relates to disease prognosis.

David J. Leffell, MD, was born in 1956 in Montreal, Canada and educated at Yale. Leffell is an internationally recognized expert in skin cancer and the Mohs technique, plastic reconstruction, and new technologies in dermatology. He specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer. He is the David Paige Smith Professor of Dermatology and Surgery, chief of Dermatologic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology, and former Deputy Dean for Clinical Affairs at Yale University School of Medicine. In January 2012, Dr. Leffell stepped down as chief executive officer of the Yale Medical Group, after 15 years of leadership of the organization. He serves on the board of Validus Pharmaceuticals and is a trustee of The Hopkins School, one of America's oldest independent schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Resiquimod</span> Chemical compound

Resiquimod (R-848) is a drug that acts as an immune response modifier, and has antiviral and antitumour activity. It is used as a topical gel in the treatment of skin lesions such as those caused by the herpes simplex virus and cutaneous T cell lymphoma, and as an adjuvant to increase the effectiveness of vaccines. In an animal disease model, systemic administration of resiquimod-loaded nanoparticles has been shown to improve response rates to cancer immunotherapy with a checkpoint inhibitor through stimulation of tumor-associated macrophages. It has several mechanisms of action, being both an agonist for toll-like receptor 7 and 8, and an upregulator of the opioid growth factor receptor. On 28 April 2016, orphan designation (EU/3/16/1653) was granted by the European Commission to Galderma R&D, France for resiquimod to be used in the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Mucosal melanoma is a rare condition characterized by a melanoma of the mucous membranes. This subtype is associated a worse prognosis than those arising from the skin. Mucosal melanomas occur in the head and neck (55%), anorectal (24%) and vulvovaginal region (18%), and in the urinary tract (3%). Based on the histopathologic and clinical features, melanomas of the vulva and vagina are often considered a separate disease entity. The prognosis of vulvovaginal melanomas is poor, especially for vaginal melanomas and has not improved over the last decades. While chemotherapy has not shown capacity to improve survival in clinical and observational studies, immune checkpoint inhibitors have been tested in mucosal melanomas and have shown promising response rates.

In cell biology, Meiomitosis is an aberrant cellular division pathway that combines normal mitosis pathways with ectopically expressed meiotic machinery resulting in genomic instability.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Mackay</span> Australian scientist

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Paul A. Khavari is the Carl J. Herzog Professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Founding Co-Director of the Stanford Program in Epithelial Biology. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine.

Günter Burg is a German dermatologist. Born in Mayen, Germany, he holds German and Swiss citizenship. He has been married to Dr. Doris Burg-Nicklas, a neurologist, since 1968. They have two sons: Andreas and Thomas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Coukos</span> Tumor immunologist

George Coukos is a physician-scientist in tumor immunology, professor and director of the Ludwig Cancer Research Lausanne Branch and director of the Department of oncology UNIL-CHUV of the University of Lausanne and the Lausanne University Hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland. He is known for his work on the mechanisms by which tumors suppress anti-cancer immune responses, and the role of the tumor vasculature in that suppression. In addition to his work in ovarian cancer, the combinatorial immune therapies proposed by Professor Coukos have been successfully tested and approved for lung, liver and kidney cancers.

References

  1. 1 2 "Thomas S. Kupper, MD". hsci.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  2. ↑ "Thomas S Kupper, MD - Brigham and Women's Hospital". physiciandirectory.brighamandwomens.org. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  3. ↑ "emedevents.com".
  4. ↑ "Brigham Research Institute | Thomas Seth Kupper, MD" . Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  5. ↑ "Dr. Thomas Kupper, MD – Boston, MA | Dermatology on Doximity". Doximity. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  6. ↑ Fuhlbrigge, Robert C.; Kieffer, J. David; Armerding, Dieter; Kupper, Thomas S. "Cutaneous lymphocyte antigen is a specialized form of PSGL-1 expressed on skin-homing T cells". Nature. 389 (6654): 978–981. doi:10.1038/40166. ISSN   1476-4687.
  7. 1 2 Clark, Rachael A.; Chong, Benjamin; Mirchandani, Nina; Brinster, Nooshin K.; Yamanaka, Kei-ichi; Dowgiert, Rebecca K.; Kupper, Thomas S. (2006-04-01). "The Vast Majority of CLA+ T Cells Are Resident in Normal Skin". The Journal of Immunology. 176 (7): 4431–4439. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.176.7.4431 . ISSN   0022-1767. PMID   16547281.
  8. ↑ Liu, Luzheng; Zhong, Qiong; Tian, Tian; Dubin, Krista; Athale, Shruti K.; Kupper, Thomas S. (February 2010). "Epidermal injury and infection during poxvirus immunization is crucial for the generation of highly protective T cell–mediated immunity". Nature Medicine. 16 (2): 224–227. doi:10.1038/nm.2078. ISSN   1546-170X. PMC   3070948 . PMID   20081864.
  9. 1 2 Jiang, Xiaodong; Clark, Rachael A.; Liu, Luzheng; Wagers, Amy J.; Fuhlbrigge, Robert C.; Kupper, Thomas S. (March 2012). "Skin infection generates non-migratory memory CD8+ TRM cells providing global skin immunity". Nature. 483 (7388): 227–231. doi:10.1038/nature10851. ISSN   1476-4687. PMC   3437663 . PMID   22388819.
  10. ↑ Gaide, Olivier; Emerson, Ryan O.; Jiang, Xiaodong; Gulati, Nicholas; Nizza, Suzanne; Desmarais, Cindy; Robins, Harlan; Krueger, James G.; Clark, Rachael A.; Kupper, Thomas S. (June 2015). "Common clonal origin of central and resident memory T cells following skin immunization". Nature Medicine. 21 (6): 647–653. doi:10.1038/nm.3860. ISSN   1546-170X. PMC   4632197 . PMID   25962122.
  11. 1 2 Pan, Youdong; Tian, Tian; Park, Chang Ook; Lofftus, Serena Y.; Mei, Shenglin; Liu, Xing; Luo, Chi; O’Malley, John T.; Gehad, Ahmed; Teague, Jessica E.; Divito, Sherrie J. (March 2017). "Survival of tissue-resident memory T cells requires exogenous lipid uptake and metabolism". Nature. 543 (7644): 252–256. doi:10.1038/nature21379. ISSN   1476-4687. PMC   5509051 . PMID   28219080.
  12. 1 2 Pruessmann, Wiebke; Rytlewski, Julie; Wilmott, James; Mihm, Martin C.; Attrill, Grace H.; Dyring-Andersen, Beatrice; Fields, Paul; Zhan, Qian; Colebatch, Andrew J.; Ferguson, Peter M.; Thompson, John F. (February 2020). "Molecular analysis of primary melanoma T cells identifies patients at risk for metastatic recurrence". Nature Cancer. 1 (2): 197–209. doi:10.1038/s43018-019-0019-5. ISSN   2662-1347. PMC   7725220 . PMID   33305293.
  13. 1 2 Park, Chang Ook; Kupper, Thomas S. (July 2015). "The emerging role of resident memory T cells in protective immunity and inflammatory disease". Nature Medicine. 21 (7): 688–697. doi:10.1038/nm.3883. ISSN   1546-170X. PMC   4640452 . PMID   26121195.
  14. ↑ Campbell, James J.; Clark, Rachael A.; Watanabe, Rei; Kupper, Thomas S. (2010-08-05). "Sézary syndrome and mycosis fungoides arise from distinct T-cell subsets: a biologic rationale for their distinct clinical behaviors". Blood. 116 (5): 767–771. doi:10.1182/blood-2009-11-251926. ISSN   0006-4971. PMC   2918332 . PMID   20484084.
  15. ↑ Clark, Rachael A.; Watanabe, Rei; Teague, Jessica E.; Schlapbach, Christoph; Tawa, Marianne C.; Adams, Natalie; Dorosario, Andrew A.; Chaney, Keri S.; Cutler, Corey S.; LeBoeuf, Nicole R.; Carter, Joi B. (2012-01-18). "Skin Effector Memory T Cells Do Not Recirculate and Provide Immune Protection in Alemtuzumab-Treated CTCL Patients". Science Translational Medicine. 4 (117): 117ra7–117ra7. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.3003008. ISSN   1946-6234. PMC   3373186 . PMID   22261031.
  16. ↑ Kirsch, Ilan R.; Watanabe, Rei; O’Malley, John T.; Williamson, David W.; Scott, Laura-Louise; Elco, Christopher P.; Teague, Jessica E.; Gehad, Ahmed; Lowry, Elizabeth L.; LeBoeuf, Nicole R.; Krueger, James G. (2015-10-07). "TCR sequencing facilitates diagnosis and identifies mature T cells as the cell of origin in CTCL". Science Translational Medicine. 7 (308): 308ra158–308ra158. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.aaa9122. ISSN   1946-6234. PMC   4765389 . PMID   26446955.
  17. ↑ "Thomas S. Kupper, MD - DF/HCC". www.dfhcc.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  18. ↑ "Tanioku Kihei Memorial Award - The Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology". www.jsid.org. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  19. ↑ "Thomas Seth Kupper - Professor, Chairman of Dermatology in Boston, Massachusetts, United States Of America | eMedEvents". eMedEvents.com. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
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