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• Department of Pathology – UCSD

Understanding the
dynamic conversation between
tumors and the immune system.

Our lab studies immune responses to tumors using animal and human models. We
focus on both the tumor cell and immune cells and how each modifies the
behavior of the other. The intricate communication and complex counter-regulation
evident within the tumor microenvironment provides fertile grounds for discovery
and intervention. Our journey has also taken us to studying stem cells,
hematopoiesis, cytokine biology, wound healing, and microplastics.

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Research

The Bui Lab investigates several areas including:

Current projects include the role of the innate cytokine IL-17D in skin inflammation and wound healing, how interferons regulate cancer stem cells and hematopoiesis, how co-receptors such as PD1 and CTLA4 limit tumor and pathogen immunity, how NK cells influence pregnancy and placental biology, and how microplastics affect macrophages.

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People

Meet Our Lab

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Publications

Recent Papers from the Lab

Derivation of functional early gestation decidual natural killer cell subtypes from induced pluripotent stem cells. Stem Cells. 2026 Apr 17. Chu Cheung V, Jaimez J, DaCosta C, Arora H, Caron C, Slamecka J, Fierro M, Meads M, Fisch K, Morey RE, Cruz LS, Pant D, Kaufman DS, Horii M, Bui JD, Parast MM. PMID: 41999228. doi: 10.1093/stmcls/sxag020.

Functional differences between rodent and human PD-1 linked to evolutionary divergence. Sci Immunol. 2025 01 03; 10(103):eads6295. Masubuchi T, Chen L, Marcel N, Wen GA, Caron C, Zhang J, Zhao Y, Morris GP, Chen X, Hedrick SM, Lu LF, Wu C, Zou Z, Bui JD, Hui E. PMID: 39752535; PMCID: PMC11774210.

MAP kinase kinase 1 (MEK1) within extracellular vesicles inhibits tumour growth by promoting anti-tumour immunity. J Extracell Vesicles. 2024 10; 13(10):e12515. Searles SC, Chen WS, Yee JD, Lee P, Lee CK, Caron C, Neto F, Matei I, Lyden D, Bui JD. PMID: 39330930; PMCID: PMC11428867.

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