Assistant Professor @UPMCHillmanCC | @DamonRunyon Dale Frey Scientist | microbiome & immunotherapy | follow your gut | she/her/hers | views are my own
Pittsburgh, PA
Joined April 2010
- Tweets1.9K
- Following1.3K
- Followers1.6K
- Likes6.6K
Very excited to share our latest paper, out today in Cell, led by @ItzDipyaman! This project started out with a curiosity as to how and why irAEs happen. Even more peculiar is that WT mice never develop irAEs…and why was that?
cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092…
Overacre Lab retweeted
In @CellCellPress, @ItzDipyaman et al. of @UPMC present a mouse model for lifestyle-induced susceptibility to immune related adverse events (irAEs) and show that dietary, microbial, and immune drivers of irAEs can be leveraged to improve immunotherapy responses while minimizing toxicity: ow.ly/glCt5101sKe
@OveracreLab
ALT Diagram showing how a Western diet and anti-PD-1 treatment cause metabolic changes and Treg fragility, leading to increased TRM cytotoxicity. Dietary reversal, metabolite supplementation, and blocking interferon (IFN)-γ production or signaling in Tregs restored Treg stability and resolved inflammation.
Overacre Lab retweeted
Connect with SITC members who share your scientific interests! Explore SITC’s three active Special Interest Groups (SIGs): ASPIRE, Peri-IO Safety and Microbiome. Discover opportunities to network, collaborate and advance cancer immunotherapy. Learn more: sitcancer.org/get-involved/s…
A huge thanks to our amazing collaborators and funding from @DamonRunyon @NIH @PittsburghFdn @UPMCHillmanCC and others. And of course, thank you to LISA.
Using our model, Lifestyle Induced Susceptibility to immune related Adverse events “LISA”, to better understand and hopefully treat irAEs.
We found that these Tregs were fragile and produced quite a bit of inflammatory cytokines, including IFNg. This axis was required for irAE development, and we found the same signature in irAE patient tissue! So, what’s next?
Then we saw something surprising: irAE mice had MORE Tregs in their inflamed tissues. How does that work? Well, these Tregs weren’t suppressive…in fact, they seemed to be contributing to disease.
Turns out, a western style diet and resulting changes to the gut microbiome support irAE formation through Akkermansia blooms and mucus degradation. This was accompanied by increases in CD8+ Trms as has been seen in patients.
We looked to two big differences between mice and humans: their diet and microbiome. Turns out when you make mice look more like humans, they develop irAEs after checkpoint blockade! Now we had a model. But how does it work?
Overacre Lab retweeted
💡 What sets the size of a germinal center? — why lymphatics of course 😉
Our new study with Carla Nowosad reveals how lymphatic remodeling constrains germinal center growth and shapes the quality of the antibody response. @ImmunityCP @nyugrossman
cell.com/immunity/fulltext/S…
Proud of these two stellar PhD students for their awards at our recent departmental retreat! @Kate_Wolfgang_ @jessica_jana_
Overacre Lab retweeted
Announcing the launch of the Mario Lemieux Microbiome Innovation Center at @UPMCHillmanCC & @PittTweet! Through a $5M commitment from the Lemieux Foundation, matched with an additional $1M from UPMC, this center will advance microbiome research. Read more: mariolemieux.org/microbiome-…
Overacre Lab retweeted
WTH is wrong with Russ Vought!?! Some personal vendetta against NIH and biomedical research? He is slowing scientific progress, massively undermining our global competitiveness, and because of him, we will have fewer new therapies for disease
nytimes.com/2026/09/20/scien…
Apply and join us for a fantastic program!
Applications are now open for the SITC Sparkathon Class of 2027, focused on the next generation of cellular therapies! Connect, collaborate and grow your career. Apply today: sitcancer.org/career-develop…
Overacre Lab retweeted
Stellar viewpoint from Ira on the current status of cancer immunotherapy - takeaway message: small biotech and academia will need to continue to keep the candle lit for immuno-oncology, and more mechanistic studies will be needed to find the next big thing nature.com/articles/s41577-0…
Always a great time!
Thrilled to cut loose with the lab for our @OveracreLab vs @DelgoffeLab Lab Olympics 2026! Popular events include chair curling, wet glove races, pipet javelin, and a contentious parafilm stretch competition!
Had a fantastic time at @socmucimm #ICMI2026 with @jessica_jana_ and @Kate_Wolfgang_ in Montreal! A wonderful few days of sharing our work and learning so much. Until next time!
