Paul G. Thomas, PhD

Dr. Paul Thomas is a viral immunologist with a focus on respiratory viruses. He integrates quantitative, computational and empirical methods to understand how our immune systems respond to infection. Dr. Thomas focuses immune regulation of health and disease, including tissue injury during infection, cancer development and resolution, and effective anti-pathogen responses. A particular focus of the lab in on T cells, immune cells that can orchestrate immune responses as well as kill target cells. These cells use a specialized molecule called the T-cell receptor, or TCR, to find their targets. Each newly produced T cell creates a unique TCR, and Dr. Thomas works to untangle the relationship between TCR specificity and immune efficacy.

Using a variety of adult and pediatric cohorts, Dr. Thomas studies the immunological signatures that reflect an individual’s immune history and predict their responses to future exposures. He has developed computational tools to create highly detailed maps of TCR repertoires and understand how they reflect immune function and pathogen exposure. Dr. Thomas’ findings will help researchers design more effective vaccines and enhance T-cell or TCR-based cancer therapies.