Jonatan Ersching, Ph.D., Hearst Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow The Rockefeller University

Germinal centers (GCs) emerge during normal immune responses to enable proliferation, mutation and selection of antibody-producing B cells, which is essential for protective immunity. On the other hand, cancerous B cell proliferation initiated in germinal centers can also lead to lymphomas, and the abnormal lymphoma-related pathways that enable this still need to be precisely defined. Dr. Jonatan Ersching seeks to understand B cell division in germinal centers, which could uncover novel insights into lymphomagenesis. Specifically, he’s looking at two alternate modes of B cell proliferation and defining the role of two molecules thought to be important in lymphoma progression: mTOR and cyclin D3. By providing a clearer picture of how B cells use these pathways to evolve in germinal centers, Dr. Esrching aims to pave the way for the development of strategies that could potentially target tumors.

Projects and Grants