Ian Ford

Ian graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas in 2016 and his research is focused on identifying the mechanism by which cholesterol regulates STING-dependent IFN signaling. He uses a number of tools to investigate regulation of STING by cholesterol, including but not limited to a photo-crosslinkable cholesterol-mimetic probe for chemoproteomic methods and confocal microscopy to assess activity-dependent translocation. These findings will allow us to begin to unravel the tangled web of links between sterol metabolism and immune activity, and potentially allow for the development of new therapies for IFN-linked autoimmune disorders and enhancement of current anti-tumor immunotherapy approaches.