Department of Dermatology

Jennifer Taylor, PhD

  • Research Instructor

Jennifer Taylor, PhD, is a Research Instructor in the Department of Dermatology, who joined the Department in 2006.  Dr. Taylor earned her undergraduate degree in biology from Old Dominion University, a master's degree in biology/neurobiology from Duquesne University, and received her PhD in molecular virology/immunology from the University of Pittsburgh. 

Dr. Taylor has actively studied the molecular and immunologic biology of cancer cells in order to better understand how they evolve and how they may be effectively managed or eradicated via pharmacologic or immunotherapeutic intervention. In the therapy arena, she has helped to develop both vaccine and gene therapy modalities that effectively promote the T cell-mediated regression of established tumors, including melanomas, and discovered that combination chemoimmunotherapies may exert superior anti-tumor efficacy when compared with their component single modalities in mouse models. 

Education & Training

  • B.S., Old Dominion University
  • M.S., Duquesne University
  • Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh

Representative Publications

  1. Wesa, A.K., M. Mandic, J.L. Taylor, S. Moschos, J.M. Kirkwood, W.W. Kwok, J.H. Finke and W.J. Storkus.  2014.  Circulating Type-1 anti-tumor CD4(+) T cells are preferentially pro-apoptotic in cancer patients. Front. Oncol.   4: 266.

  2. Lowe, D.B., J.L. Taylor and W.J. Storkus.  2014.  Monitoring antigen-specific T cell responses using real-time PCR. Methods Mol. Bio.  1186: 65-74.

  3. Lowe, D., A. Bose, J.L. Taylor, H. Tawbi, Y. Lin, J. Kirkwood and W.J. Storkus.  2014.  Dasatinib promotes the expansion of a therapeutically superior T-cell repertoire in response to dendritic cell vaccination against melanoma.  Oncoimmunology.  3(1): e27589 Epub 2014 Feb 27.

  4. Chen, L., K.L. Fabian, J.L. Taylor and W.J. Storkus.  2013.  Therapeutic use of dendritic cells to promote the extranodal priming of anti-tumor immunity.  Front. Immunol.  4: 388.

  5. Chi Sabins, N., J.L. Taylor, K.P. Fabian, L.J. Appleman, J.K. Maranchie, D.B. Stolz and W.J. Storkus.  2013.  DLK1: a novel target for immunotherapeutic remodeling of the tumor blood vasculature.  Mol. Ther.  21: 1958-1968.

  6. Chen, L. J.L. Taylor, N.C. Sabins, D.B. Lowe, Y. Qu, Z. You and W.J. Storkus.  2013.  Extranodal induction of therapeutic immunity in the tumor microenvironment after intratumoral delivery of Tbet gene-modified dendritic cells.  Cancer Gene Ther.  20: 469-77.

  7. Rao, A., J.L. Taylor, N. Chi-Sabins, M. Kawabe, W.E. Gooding and W.J. Storkus.  2012.  Combination therapy with HSP90 inhibitor 17-DMAG reconditions the tumor microenvironment to improve recruitment of therapeutic T cells.  Cancer Res.  72: 3196-3206.

  8. Zhao, X.*, A. Bose*,  H. Komita, J.L. Taylor, N. Chi, D.B. Lowe, H. Okada, Y. Cao, D. Mukhopadhyay, P.A. Cohen and W.J. Storkus.  2012.  Vaccines targeting tumor-associated blood vessel antigens are protective/therapeutic in HLA-A2 transgenic mice.  J. Immunol.  188: 1782-1788.

  9. Qu, Y., L. Chen, D.B. Lowe, W.J. Storkus and J.L. Taylor.  2012.  Combined Tbet and IL-12 gene therapy elicits and recruits superior antitumor immunity in vivo.  Mol. Therapy.  20: 644-651.

  10. Qu, Y., J.L. Taylor, A. Bose and W.J. Storkus. 2011. Therapeutic effectiveness of intratumorally delivered dendritic cells engineered to express the pro-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin (IL)-32.  Cancer Gene Ther.  18: 663-673.

  11. Bose, A., J.L. Taylor, S. Alber, S.C. Watkins, J.A. Garcia, B.I. Rini, J.S. Ko, P.A. Cohen, R.D. Schreiber, J.H. Finke and W.J. Storkus.  2011.  Sunitinib facilitates the activation and recruitment of therapeutic anti-tumor immunity in concert with specific vaccination.  Int. J. Cancer. 129: 2158-2170.

  12. Zhao, X.*, A. Bose*, H. Komita, J.L. Taylor, M. Kawabe, N. Chi, L. Spokas, D.B. Lowe, C. Goldbach, S. Alber, S.C. Watkins, L.H. Butterfield, P. Kalinski, J.M. Kirkwood, and W.J. Storkus.  2010.  Intratumoral IL-12 gene therapy results in the cross-priming of Tc1 cells reactive against tumor-associated stromal antigens.  Mol. Therapy. 19: 805-814.

  13. Qu, Y., L. Chen, A.D. Pardee, J.L. Taylor, A.K. Wesa and W.J. Storkus.  2010.  Intralesional delivery of dendritic cells engineered to express T-bet promotes protective type 1 immunity and the normalization of the tumor microenvironment.  J. Immunol.  185: 2895-2902.

  14. Lipscomb, M.W., J.L. Taylor, C.J. Goldbach, S.C. Watkins, A.K. Wesa, and W.J. Storkus.  2010.  DC expressing transgene Foxp3 are regulatory APC.  Eur. J. Immunol.  40:  480-493.

  15. Lipscomb, M.W., L. Chen, J.L. Taylor, C. Goldbach, S.C. Watkins, P. Kalinski, A.K. Wesa, and W.J. Storkus.  2009.  Ectopic T-bet expression licenses dendritic cells for IL-12-independent priming of type 1 T cells in vitro.  J. Immunol.  183:  7250-7258.