Dr. Barbara Kee

Biography

Barbara Kee is a Professor at the University of Chicago in the Department of Pathology. She specializes in the molecular mechanisms that govern immune cell development and function, particularly focusing on processes that influence innate and adaptive immunity as well as leukemogenesis. Her research investigates lineage-specific transcriptional programs, disruptions that lead to immune deficiencies, autoimmunity, and cancers such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A major focus of her lab is on transcription factors and antagonists, especially E proteins and regulators like ID and ETS family proteins, which direct differentiation and effector functions in various lymphoid cell types including B cells, T cells, and natural killer (NK) cells. Through genetic and genomic approaches, her group has elucidated critical roles for factors like E2A, Notch1, LEF1, ID2/ID3, and ETS1 in lymphocyte fate decisions and functional maturation, thereby advancing the understanding of the networks impacting immune responses to infection and cancer mechanisms driving leukemic transformation. Currently, she is studying transcriptional programs that drive effective anti-tumor immune responses in natural killer cells.

Research Interests

Experience