Dr. Aaron Ring works at the intersection of protein engineering and systems immunology to identify new therapeutic targets for cancer and to create drugs against them. His work has resulted in the development of several innovative cancer therapeutics now being tested in clinical trials, including engineered cytokines and immune receptors.

Taking inspiration from the immune system, Dr. Ring’s lab has created a novel platform to screen for autoantibodies — immune proteins our bodies make against our own tissues — across a wide range of diseases. The platform, called REAP (rapid extracellular antigen profiling), allows Dr. Ring and his team to detect antigens, the molecular targets of these natural immune proteins. With the aim of developing autoantibodies into therapeutics, they will use REAP to decode the “autoantibody reactome” (the full complement of autoantibody targets) and pinpoint autoantibodies with beneficial impacts in health and disease.

Dr. Ring’s lab also develops approaches to discover novel tumor antigens — specific molecular features that distinguish tumor cells from normal cells — to guide a range of anti-cancer therapies from CAR T-cells to antibody-drug conjugates.

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