Jason Muhitch, PhD

Assistant Professor of Oncology
Department of Immunology
Education and Training:
2013 - Ph.D. - Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo
Professional Memberships:
The American Association of Immunologists
Radiation Research Society
American Urological Association
Society for Basic Urologic Research
Honors & Awards:
2021 - Chair, Radiation and Anti-tumor Immunity Session, Radiation Research Society
2019 - Chair, Understanding Immune Responses to Cancer, Upstate NY Immunology Conference
2018 - Early Career Investigator Travel Award, Radiation Research Society
2018 - Chair, Cell Therapies Session, Translational Research Cancer Centers Consortium
2014 - Best Poster, Northeastern Section of the American Urological Association
2013 - Travel award, Midwest Melanoma Partnership
2012 - The American Association of Immunologists Young Investigators Award, Upstate New York Immunology Conference
2012 - Junior Investigator Award, Translational Research Cancer Centers Consortium Meeting
2011 - 1st Place New Investigator Travel Award, Society for Thermal Medicine
Research
Research Overview:
The goal of my laboratory is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that limit renal cell carcinoma patient responses to immunotherapy. The laboratory’s translational studies are concentrated on enhancing anti-tumor immunity through improved myeloid cell function and cytolytic T cell activity within renal cell carcinoma. Our laboratory’s findings from a pilot trial in metastatic renal cell carcinoma combining high-dose radiation of kidney tumors with surgical resection, provide a glimpse into the immune activating effects of radiation in human cancer. The laboratory’s most recent studies performed in collaboration with Dr. Scott Abrams shed light on the role key transcription factors at play in macrophage behavior and patient outcome.


Publications
Chow J, Hoffend NC, Abrams SI, Schwaab T, Singh AK, Muhitch JB. Radiation induces dynamic changes to the T cell repertoire in renal cell carcinoma patients. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 Sep 8;. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2001933117. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 32900949.
Muhitch JB, Hoffend NC, Azabdaftari G, Miller A, Bshara W, Morrison CD, Schwaab T, Abrams SO. Tumor-associated macrophage expression of interferon regulatory Factor-8 (IRF8) is a predictor of progression and patient survival in renal cell carcinoma. J Immunther Cancer. 2019; 7: 155.
Singh AK, Winslow T, Habiby Kermany M, Goritz V, Heit L, Miller A, Hoffend NC, Stein LC, Kumaraswamy LK, Warren GW, Bshara W, Odunsi KO, Matsuzaki J, Abrams SI, Schwaab T, Muhitch JB. A pilot study of stereotactic body radiation therapy combined with cytoreductive nephrectomy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Clin Cancer Res. 2017; 23: 5055-5065.
Ku A, Muhitch JB, Diehl M, Abrams SI, Ostrand-Rosenberg S, Evans SS. Myeloid-derived suppressor cell-mediated downregulation of L-selectin limits T cell trafficking in lymph nodes which can be alleviated by systemic thermal therapy. eLife. 2016; 5:e17375.
Battaglia S and Muhitch JB. Unmasking targets of antitumor immunity via high-throughput antigen profiling. Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2016; 42: 92-97.
Fisher D, Muhitch JB, Kim M, Doyen K, Bogner P, Evans SS, Skitzki J. Intraoperative intravital microscopy permits the study of human tumour vessels. Nat Commun. 2016; 7: 10684.
Mikucki M, Fisher D, Matsuzaki J, Skitzki JJ, Gaulin N, Muhitch JB, Frelinger J, Odunsi K, Gajewski T, Luster A, Evans SS. Non-redundant requirement for CXCR3 signalling during tumoricical T-cell trafficking across tumour vascular checkpoints. Nat Commun. 2015; 6: 7458.
Muhitch JB and Schwaab T. High-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) for metastatic renal cell carcinoma: can the first anti-tumor immunotherapy be reinvented? Immunotherapy. 2014; Sep 6; (9): 955-958.