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Stephen Desiderio is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Johns Hopkins University. His research focuses on the molecular genetic mechanisms responsible for the development of the immune system, with an emphasis on the generation of immunologic diversity. Desiderio's work provides a spectacular example of genomic plasticity through V(D)J recombination, a process that constructs antigen receptor genes from discrete gene segments and shares mechanistic features with transposition, thereby serving as a potential source of DNA damage. His laboratory has identified a control mechanism that restricts V(D)J recombination to specific times within the cell cycle, including periodic destruction of V(D)J recombinase. By employing a combination of genetics and biochemistry, he has defined this process in detail. His current studies include investigating how the control of V(D)J recombination is governed by the level of chromatin modification at specific loci, as well as the impact of somatic mutations in the V(D)J recombinase on genomic stability, particularly in common childhood lymphoid cancers like T-lymphoid acute lymphocytic leukemia. Furthermore, he explores the role of hedgehog signaling in maintaining stromal cells that promote the generation of immune cells from blood-forming stem cells in the bone marrow. Desiderio aims to manipulate human immune responses for therapeutic uses by understanding these signaling mechanisms.
Johns Hopkins University • Baltimore, MD
Retired faculty member continuing research in molecular genetics and immune system development.
Department of Pathology - PhD in Pathobiology. GRE is not required.