Matthew Mescher, PhD became an emeritus professor at the University of Minnesota (UMN) Medical School in 2015, where he had been a faculty member for 22 years. He held an endowed professorship in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and was the founding director of the UMN Center for Immunology. Dr. Matthew F. Mescher, a leader in immunology at the University of Minnesota, passed away on December 21, 2021, after a battle with cancer.
Read a detailed biography of Dr. Mescher’s accomplishments.
Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows in the lab conducted research focused on cell surface receptor interactions and signaling pathways involved in activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). Immunologists have found that the antigen recognized by the T cell receptor consists of a peptide bound to a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) protein on the surface of the target cell. This recognition initiates a cascade of adhesion and transmembrane signaling events involving several receptors on the CTL binding to ligands on the target cells.
Dr. Mescher and his colleagues developed novel methods for producing artificial lipid membrane constructs from purified membrane proteins to study these complex signaling events. Molecules known to be involved in CTL binding and signal transduction, such as ligands for CD8 proteins and integrins, can be selectively introduced into these membranes to examine their specific role in CTL binding, response, and membrane-cytoskeletal interactions.
His work on the molecular basis of T cell activation has important implications for developing therapeutic approaches that activate tumor- and virus-specific CTL responses. Artificial membranes created in his laboratory for in vitro studies of T cell activation enhance CTL responses in mice in an antigen-specific manner. The researchers also studied how antigen-bound artificial membranes, particularly membrane-coated latex microspheres, mediate CTL enhancement and produce therapeutic effects, paving the way for potential applications in immunization and disease therapy.
