Michael R. Elliott, PhD
Biography
Michael R. Elliott, PhD joined the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Whiddon College of Medicine as an associate professor. He received his Baccalaureate degree from Wake Forest University and his Ph.D. from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Dr. Elliott's research focuses on innate immunity, macrophage biology, and cancer immunotherapy. His laboratory is in the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute (MCI).
Lab Mission
The Elliott laboratory studies the mechanisms that regulate macrophage phagocytosis and the consequences of this process for cancer immunotherapy and tissue homeostasis. Our work focuses on two major forms of macrophage-mediated cell clearance: antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP), through which macrophages eliminate tumor cells targeted by therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, and efferocytosis, the clearance of apoptotic cells.
Using primary human and mouse macrophages, preclinical models, live-cell imaging, flow cytometry, and molecular approaches, we seek to define the signals that control the efficiency, capacity, and downstream consequences of macrophage phagocytosis. Ultimately, our goal is to translate fundamental insights into macrophage biology into improved therapeutic strategies.
Antibody-Dependent Cellular Phagocytosis in Cancer
Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies are widely used to treat cancer, and macrophage-mediated antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) is an important mechanism by which these antibodies eliminate malignant cells.
Our laboratory studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms that determine the rate, efficiency, and capacity of ADCP. We discovered that macrophages have a finite capacity to engulf antibody-opsonized tumor cells, providing a potential explanation for incomplete tumor-cell clearance during monoclonal antibody therapy. We are investigating the mechanisms that establish this phagocytic capacity and how different antibody effector pathways can be used to extend macrophage-mediated tumor-cell clearance.
A major goal of this work is to identify strategies that improve the effectiveness of therapeutic antibodies by enhancing or extending macrophage cytotoxic activity.
Efferocytosis and the Clearance of Dying Cells
Efferocytosis is the process by which macrophages and other phagocytes recognize and remove apoptotic cells. Efficient efferocytosis is essential for maintaining tissue homeostasis, limiting inflammation, and promoting the resolution of tissue injury.
Our laboratory investigates the molecular mechanisms that allow phagocytes to locate, recognize, engulf, and process dying cells. We are particularly interested in how the signals generated during apoptotic-cell clearance regulate subsequent macrophage function and how disruption of these pathways contributes to disease.
By understanding the fundamental mechanisms that control efferocytosis, we aim to define how defective or altered cell clearance contributes to inflammation, cancer, and other pathological conditions.