Laura Timares, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Division of Human Gene Therapy
Department of Dermatology
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Biomedical Research Building II
901 19th Street South
BMR2-404 (office)
BMR2- 542 (lab)
Birmingham, AL 35294 -2172

Email: timares@uab.edu
Phone: (205) 934-7545
Fax: (205) 975-7949


Research Interests

With the goal of developing effective topical vaccines, we are currently studying skin-derived DCs, termed Langerhans cells (LCs). This subset of DCs may have a specialized function in delivering cutaneous antigens to draining lymph nodes to orchestrate either tolerogenic or immunogenic responses. Recently, we discovered that murine LCs undergo cell death after successful antigen presentation to naïve T cells and this limits their immunogenic potential. We have identified the pertinent apoptosis-signaling cascade used by LCs in response to T cells as "Type II", requiring the pro-apoptotic molecule Bid. When the Bid gene is disabled, LCs are resistant to T cell-induced death and are superior vaccinating agents. How such gene-modified, apoptosis-resistant DCs induce enhanced T cell responses, and what mechanisms are used by T cells to trigger DC death are under current investigation. The lab's overall goal is to develop targeted approaches for generating apoptosis-resistant DCs for improving the efficacy of topical vaccines as well as cancer immunotherapies.

A second emerging interest is to elucidate the biology and markers of epidermal skin stem cells. These cells are important targets for treating skin diseases with gene-replacement therapy and play an important role in UV-induced cancer development. Both human and murine epidermal culture systems are being studied in this regard.


Select List of Publications (30 total) Note, surname changed from Lebow to Timares

  1. Timares L, Takashima A, Johnston SA. (1998) Quantitative analysis of the immunopotency of genetically transfected dendritic cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 95(22): 13147 - 13152.

  2. Timares L, Safer KM, Qu B, Takashima A, Johnston SA. (2003). Drug-inducible, dendritic cell-based genetic immunization. J Immunol 170 (11): 5483 - 5490.

  3. Timares L, Douglas J, Perebeov A, Krasnych V, Tillman BW, Curiel DT. (2003) Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer into dendritic cells. In: Methods in Molecular Biology vo.l 246. Gene Delivery to Mammalian Cells Volume 2: Viral Gene Transfer Techniques. Humana Press. Totowa, NJ. Ed. W.C. Heiser. Pgs 139 - 154.

  4. McGuire MJ, Sykes KF, Samli KN, Timares L, Barry MA, Stemke-Hale K, Tagliaferri F, Logan M, Jansa K, Takashima A, Brown KC, Johnston SA. (2004) A library-selected, Langerhans cell-targeting peptide enhances an immune response. DNA Cell Biol 23(11): 742 - 752.

  5. Pradhan S, Genebriera J, Denning WL, Felix K, Elmets CA, Timares L. (2006) CD4 T cell-induced, Bid-dependent apoptosis in cutaneous dendritic cells regulates T cell expansion and immune responses. J Immunol 177(9): 5956 - 5967.

  6. Yusuf N, Timares L, Seibert MD, Xu H, Elmets CA. (2007) Acquired and innate immunity to polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol [Epub ahead of print] 1725878.

  7. Pradhan S , Thrash C, Cox M, Mantena S, Katiyar S, Kim HK, Elmets CA, Timares L. (2007) A critical role for the proapoptotic protein Bid in UV-induced immune suppression and cutaneous apoptosis. (submitted).


Biosketch

Positions

1999 - Present Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology (Primary Appointment) University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL
2006 - Present Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology (Secondary Appointment) University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL
2001 - Present Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology (Secondary Appointment) University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL
2005 - Present Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology (Secondary) University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL
2000 - Present Associate Scientist, Gene Therapy Center University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL
2000 - Present Associate Scientist, Comprehensive Cancer Center University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL
2004 - Present Director, UAB SDRC Skin Cell Culture Core University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL

Previous Positions

1998 - 1999 Research Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Center for Biomedical Inventions. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas TX

Academic Degrees

1992B.S. in Biology University of California at Los Angeles
1990Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology University of California at Los Angeles, School of Medicine


Postdoctoral Training

1990 - 1993Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
1993 - 1995Department of Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles CA
1996 - 1998Departments of Medicine and Dermatology (Joint appointment) University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas TX

Awards and Honors

National Science Foundation Award: NATO Advanced Study Institute, 1989
Cedars-Sinai Research Institute Fellowship Award, 1990
Dermatology Foundation Career Development Award, 2000 - 2003
American Cancer Society Institutional Grant, 2000
Charlotte Geyer Foundation Award, 2001

Professional Societies and Memberships

1990 - PresentAmerican Association of Immunologists
2000 - PresentSociety of Investigative Dermatology

Councils and Committees

NIH Study sectionSBIR/STTR, June/July 2003

Editorial Board Memberships

Reviewer (ad hoc):Journal of Immunology, Journal of Investigative Dermatology, United States Department of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Blood.