Cells in the immune system are tuned exquisitely to avoid the extremes of immunodeficiency and autoimmunity. We apply the tools of biochemistry, immunology, cell signaling, and structural biology to understand how receptor clustering and protein-protein interactions at the plasma membrane regulate downstream responses. We are particularly interested in how dysregulation of inflammation, sex-specific signaling pathways, and protein tyrosine kinases contribute to the progression of autoimmune disease and cancer, especially female-biased diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus and breast cancer. As the Src-family kinase Lyn is a key initiator and regulator of pro-inflammatory and immunosuppressive signaling, we have generated the first isoform-specific Lyn knockout mice via CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and are studying the differential roles of the two Lyn splice forms (LynA and LynB) in cell function and disease. Click on each category above to learn more about our work in the areas of Immune-Cell Signaling, Immune Dysfunction, and Protein Regulation.
Visit the links below for a more broadly targeted summary of our work and brief intro for those interested in training with us. (Also visit our JOIN site for more info.)
Lab News (@tfreedmanlab)
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November, 2024
Our work is featured in a Research Spotlight by the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health!
November, 2024
Please join us in welcoming MPaT rotation student Austin Robertson, who will be working with postdoc Will Kanagy to study signaling thresholds of ITAM-coupled receptors in macrophages.
September, 2024
Tanya has joined the Scientific Advisory Board for the Discovery Stack Pilot! The aim of this project is to "test a novel method of publishing and consuming scientific data," via separated peer review of impact and rigor. Sign up to participate in data collection as a reviewer or reviewee!
September, 2024
Thanks to NIH NIAMS & OADR-ORWH for funding our R56 grant (AR084525): "Functions of LynA and LynB kinases in dendritic-cell pro-inflammatory signaling and lupus!" We are excited to begin this work and acknowledge important discussions and collaboration with colleague Bryce Binstadt!
July, 2024
A collaborative study with the laboratory of Bruce Walcheck, "Enhanced IL-15-mediated NK cell activation and proliferation by an ADAM17 function-blocking antibody involves CD16A, CD137, and accessory cells," is now out in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. Freedman-lab MSTP student Anders Lindstedt was our point person, helping lead author Anders Matson study the signaling effects of Medi-1 antibody engagement of ITAM-coupled receptors in natural killer cells. Nice work, Anders & Anders!
July, 2024
BMBB PhD Student Monica Sauer has been appointed to the Immunology T32 Program, administered through UMN (PIs: Drs. Kris Hogquist & Vaiva Vezys) and funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Congratulations, Monica!
May, 2024
A collaborative study with the laboratory of Nick Levinson, "Allosteric coupling asymmetry mediates paradoxical activation of BRAF by type II inhibitors," is now out in eLife. Freedman-lab postdoc J.T. Greene and Researcher Silvia Toledo Ramos were our point people helping lead author Damien Rasmussen study paradoxical activation of Raf in cancer cells. Nice work, Damien and Silvia!
July, 2023
A collaborative study with the laboratory of Matt Aliota, "Primary infection with Zika virus provides one-way heterologous protection against Spondweni virus infection in rhesus macaques," is now out in Science Advances. Freedman-lab postdoc J.T. Greene was our point person helping lead author Anna Jaeger characterize simian myeloid cells. Nice work, Drs. Jaeger, Aliota, and Greene!
June, 2023
BMBB PhD student Monica Sauer won one of the three poster awards at the FASEB Science Research Conference Signal Transduction in the Immune System! Congratulations, Monica! In other news, Tanya will be an organizer for the upcoming iterations of this conference in 2025 and 2027.
May, 2023
PhD Students Monica Sauer (BMBB) & Erandika Senevirathne (MPaT) have won travel awards to attend FASEB Signal Transduction in the Immune System , and Monica's poster abstract was selected for a flash talk. Congratulations, Erandika & Monica!
May, 2023
The final approvals have gone through for Tanya's promotion to Associate Professor with tenure! She is so grateful for the contributions of her lab members past and present. Special shoutouts to 1st team member Frankie Sjaastad and 1st PhD student Ben Brian (PhD) for their trust, science, and contributions to a positive lab environment. Thanks also to everyone currently in the lab, whose 1:1 meetings continue to be the best parts of Tanya's work week!
April, 2023
Researcher Silvia Toledo has joined the lab. Coming with a major in Biology from Hamline University (St. Paul, MN), she will initially be studying the breast tumor microenvironment under the supervision of postdoc J.T. Greene. Welcome, Silvia!
March, 2023
A collaborative study with the laboratory of Justin Drake, "ZBTB7A as a novel vulnerability in neuroendocrine prostate cancer," is out today in Frontiers in Endocrinology. Freedman-lab postdoc J.T. Greene was our point person helping lead author Song Yi Bae with cell-cycle studies. Nice work, Drs. Bae, Drake, and Greene!
March, 2023
Our Basic/Clinical Pilot Research Award application has been selected for funding by the Department of Pharmacology at UMN! We are grateful for their support and are excited to continue our work on cell signaling in infllamatory arthritis!
March, 2023
Postdoctoral Scholar Will Kanagy, PhD, has been appointed to the Molecular, genetic, and cellular targets of cancer T32 training program, administered through UMN (PI: Dr. Carol Lange) and funded by the National Cancer Institute. Congratulations, Will!
December, 2022
Congratulations to our graduating undergrads Olivia Funk and Carter Sellner! Olivia will start a research position at HiberCell, Inc. in Roseville, MN, and we are glad that Carter will stay on in the lab as a Researcher.
September, 2022
PhD Student Anders Lindstedt has won an Abstract Award and presentation slot at this year's UMN Department of Pharmacology Annual Retreat on October 14, 2022. Congratulations, Anders!
August, 2022
Undergraduate Student Carter Sellner has been awarded an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) fellowship to support his research examining mRNA regulation of Lyn kinase. Congratulations, Carter!
August, 2022
MSTP/MICaB PhD Student Anders Lindstedt has been appointed to the Training in Lung Science T32 Program, administered through UMN (PI: Dr. David Ingbar) and funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Congratulations, Anders!
July, 2022
MPaT PhD student Erandika Senevirathne won a poster award at the FASEB Science Research Conference Immunoreceptors and Immunotherapy! Congratulations, Erandika!
July, 2022
Postdoc Will Kanagy has joined the lab. He's coming all the way from his PhD in the U_N_M Cancer Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, bringing expertise in microscopy, biophysics, mast cells, and Fcepsilon receptor signaling. Welcome, Will!
June, 2022
MICaB/MSTP PhD student Anders Lindstedt has now passed both his written and his oral prelim! Congratulations, Anders!
May, 2022
MICaB/MSTP PhD student Anders Lindstedt passed his written prelim! Congratulations, Anders!
April, 2022
Our manuscript "A dominant function of LynB kinase in preventing autoimmunity" is out today in Science Advances. This was a huge collaborative effort from co-first authors Ben Brian (former PhD student), Monica Sauer (current PhD student), and J.T. Greene (postdoc), with lots of help from labmates and collaborators in the labs of Bryce Binstadt, Cliff Lowell, and the GESR and MGL core facilities at UMN. Nice work, Ben, Monica, and J.T.!!
April, 2022
Wow, it's been quite a day for second-year PhD student Monica Sauer! (1) She is now officially a PhD candidate after passing her preliminary exam. (2) She has been awarded the 2022 Armstrong-Pothapragada Graduate Fellowship by the Department and Graduate Program in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics. "This fellowship is given to a talented student who is in good standing and shows potential in their chosen field." She will be recognized for this award at the BMBB awards banquet on May 4th. Double congratulations, Monica!
April, 2022
Our manuscript "SH3-domain mutations selectively disrupt Csk homodimerization or PTPN22 binding" has been published in Scientific Reports. This includes data collected by former PhD student Ben Brian with a writing and literature-synthesis assist from former Researcher Frankie Sjaastad. Nice work, Ben and Frankie!!
January, 2022
Recent grad Ben Brian has submitted a new research publication: "SH3-domain mutations selectively disrupt Csk homodimerization or PTPN22 binding." Check out a preprint at bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.01.13.475555.
January, 2022
Welcome, prospective PhD students! I hope to meet you during recruitment, but you can also check out this 3 minute video for a brief introduction to our lab!
January, 2022
We just received notice that our Pre-R01 Brainstorm Award application has been selected for funding by the Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota! We are grateful for their support and are excited to continue our work on the function of Lyn kinase in the breast-tumor immune microenvironment, cell trafficking, and metastasis!
December, 2021
We just received notice that our Innovative Research Award application has been selected for funding by the Rheumatology Research Foundation! We are grateful for their support and are excited to continue our work on kinase signaling, lupus, and innate immune cells!
November, 2021
Check out the recording of Tanya's Early Career Immunology Digital Seminar.
November, 2021
Tuesday 11/9 @ 11AM CST
Tanya will present the Early Career Immunology Digital Seminar. Livestream & recording on YouTube (subscribe for updates), and check out fantastic talks by the previous 6 ECIs. Follow on Twitter and nominate future speakers @EarlyImmunology.
September, 2021
A review article by postdoc J.T. Greene, former PhD student Ben Brian, and current PhD student Erandika Senevirathne is in press at Current Opinion in Immunology. Our contribution, "Regulation of myeloid-cell activation," will be in December's Special Section (Vol73) Signal transduction controlling immune cell function.
September, 2021
Please join us in welcoming rotation students Chinasa Ufondu and Fatimah Najjar from the Pharmacology PhD Program! We'll all be working together to make this a productive & safe rotation experience!
August, 2021
PhD Student Monica Sauer has been appointed to the Molecular, Genetic, and Cellular Targets of Cancer T32 Training Program, administered through the UMN Masonic Cancer Center and funded by the National Cancer Institute. Congratulations, Monica!
August, 2021
PhD Student Erandika Senevirathne has passed her prelim exam! Nicely done, Erandika!
July, 2021
Former PhD student Ben Brian's review article, "The Src-family kinase Lyn in immunoreceptor signaling," is in press at Endocrinology!
July, 2021
Prospective Rotation Students, check out this 6-minute intro video, and feel free to reach out to Tanya and our trainees to learn more.
June, 2021
Hard at work on revisions for Ben Brian's (and Monica Sauer's/Erandika Senevirathne's/Myra Nunez's) manuscript! It's all hands on deck in the Freedman lab!
May, 2021
Recent grad Ben Brian has submitted a new research publication: the shorter splice variant (LynB) is the dominant immunoprotective form of Lyn kinase. Check out a preprint at bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.03.439514.
May, 2021
Please join us in welcoming undergraduate and McNair Scholar Carter Sellner to the lab!
April, 2021
Congratulations to Olivia Funk, who has received Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) funding to continue her project this summer!
April 23, 2021
UPDATE: Congratulations to our own newly minted
Dr. Ben F. Brian IV on a successful defense!
PhD Student Ben F. Brian IV will deliver his final disseratation seminar this Friday, April 23, at 1 PM. Join us for this special event at the Pharmacology Department Ben Brian Defense Zoom!
April, 2021
Congratulations to J.T. Greene, receipient of an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship!
April, 2021
NIH/NIAMS has awarded our R01 supplemental funds to support Luis Ramirez's training as a Researcher in our lab! Luis helped with the application his first week on the job! Congrats and thanks, Luis!
March, 2021
The lineup is now established for the (inaugural) 2021-2022 season of the Early Career Immunology Digital Seminar Series. (Tanya's talk is November 9!)
March, 2021
Pharmacology PhD student Ben Brian is busy writing his dissertation and a paper. The data are so cool, and I'm sure this will feel worth the crunch by the end of April when the defense is done and latest story is (hopefully) awaiting reviews and (definitely) posted on bioRxiv! Then he'll just have to worry about packing up and moving to his postdoc at UC Berkeley!
February, 2021
BMBB PhD student Monica Sauer has joined the lab!
January, 2021
Please join us in welcoming undergraduate student Olivia Funk, a Physiology Major/Pharmacology Minor at the U! We'll all be working together to make this a productive & safe research experience!
January, 2021
Prospective PhD Students: Check out this 6-minute strong>intro video, and feel free to reach out by twitter or email. See the JOIN tab of this website for more on our program affiliations and mentoring philosophy.
January, 2021
Please join us in welcoming rotation student Monica Sauer from the BMBB Program! We'll all be working together to make this a productive & safe rotation experience!
2020
It's been quite a year! The lab has worked together to stay safe and productive. We've tried our best to support each other and keep up our morale, started new traditions, and welcomed some new members. Though we may be missing family or just focusing on weathering this holiday season, we remain excited about our science and optimistic about a brighter '21.
MSTP/PhD student Anders Lindstedt has joined the lab!
Please join us in welcoming rotation student Jennifer Tuokkola from the Pharmacology Graduate Program! We'll all be working together to make this a productive & safe rotation experience!
Please join us in welcoming Researcher Luis Ramirez to the lab!
Please join us in welcoming rotation student Korbyn Dahlquist from BMBB! We'll all be working together to make this a productive & safe rotation experience!
PhD student Ben Brian's recent protocol/review article, "Immunopharmacology and quantitative analysis of tyrosine kinase signaling," is now out in Current Protocols in Immunology! Nice work, Ben!
Please join us in welcoming rotation students Anna Carey from Pharmacology and Evan Kleinboehl from BMBB! We'll all be working together to make this a productive & safe rotation experience!
Congratulations to lab alumna Frankie Sjaastad for a successful PhD thesis defense! Frankie was our first researcher, helping to set up the lab and recruiting our first PhD student before joining UMN's MICaB program. Best of luck in your postdoc, Dr. Sjaastad!
Welcome, first-year PhD students! We are seeking rotation students and invite you to reach out to Tanya and members of the lab. Check out our intro video.
Our lab has broad interests in basic and biomedical research encompassing cell signaling, immunology, cancer biology, and structure-function, using methods ranging from purified proteins to mouse models and human samples. An immunology background is not a prerequisite. (Motivation to gain the expertise you need for success is!)
PhD student Ben Brian's manuscript reviewing methods for quantifying tyrosine kinase signaling has been accepted for publication in Current Protocols in Immunology. Nice work, Ben!!
Check out our perspective piece, now out in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (J Exp Med): Lessons of COVID-19: A roadmap for post-pandemic science.
PhD student Ben Brian just submitted an invited methodology review on quantitative analysis of tyrosine kinase signaling in immune cells. Stay tuned for updates!
Please join us in congratulating postdoc J.T. Greene for winning the Pharmacology Department Frederick E. Shideman Research Proposal Award in recognition of "exciting new research projects and persuasive scientific writing."
Hearty congratulations also to PhD student Ben Brian, recipient of a Pharmacology Department Research-Leadership Publication Award, recognizing trainees or staff who "drive the science and/or writing of a publication to an extraordinary extent."
Quite a day for PhD student Ben Brian! He just won two more awards from the UMN Medical school.
- The J. Jacob Kaplan Award for clinical or basic research in immunology in diagnosis and treatment of cancer, in gastroenterology, or in cardiology
- The Veneziale-Steer Award for outstanding basic scientific research by a graduate student or a medical student in the field of cellular growth regulation.
A welcome bit of good news: congratulations to postdoc J.T. Greene for securing funding via the Cancer Biology Training Grant, administered through the UMN Masonic Cancer Center and funded by the National Cancer Institute within the NIH.
We are looking forward to working with three undergraduate students this summer, with remote mentorship and (hopefully!) bench research.
Our current undergraduate Freya van't Veer will come work with us full time-- she has some interesting observations about hormone signaling in macrophages, and we're excited for her to continue her project!
We are also excited to welcome Zach Kulstad from Carleton College and Emmanuel León-Colón, an LSSURP student from Universidad de Puerto Rico, Ponce. The on-campus program was unfortunately suspended this year, but we're looking forward to getting to know Emmanuel remotely and introducing him to the research environment at UMN!
As part of a University-wide commitment to social distancing and to do our part to keep our people safe and slow down the influx of new patients in a medical system stretched to its limits worldwide, We have moved to minimal in-lab operations.
If we work together we can FLATTEN THE CURVE.
For information on COVID-19 and the novel coronavirus, please choose your sources carefully. We recommend visiting NIAID and the WHO for information about current public safety recommendations and the latest research efforts.
We are now affiliated with three graduate programs at the University of Minnesota: Pharmacology, MICaB (Microbiology/Immunology/Cancer Biology), and BMBB (Biochemistry/Molecular Biology/Biophysics)!
Pharmacology PhD student Erandika Senevirathne has joined the lab!
Congratulations to PhD student Ben Brian, winner of the prestigious Dr. Marvin and Hadassah Bacaner Research Award in Pharmacology! So well deserved!
Happy new year! Please join us in welcoming two Pharmacology rotation students, Erandika Senevirathne and Mark Schonfeld, who are tackling big questions in macrophage negative-feedback and Csk regulation. We'll be grateful for their efforts during our upcoming recruitment weekend. Our students are powerful emissaries for our graduate programs!
2019
It's been a big year for PhD student Ben Brian! He published his first paper this past summer and gave a truly excellent Pharmacology Department seminar earlier this month! Postdoc J.T. Greene and Researcher Adrienne Joliceour gave great talks of their own at the UMN/Mayo Joint Immunology Retreat and at the Autumn Immunology Conference (Chicago, IL), respectively. Looking forward to a great new year and to seeing some new faces in the lab!
Join us in welcoming MICaB rotation student Jake Hildebrand, who will take the lead analyzing Tuberculosis infection data and studying macrophage signaling! (The graduate program in Pharmacology will be represented in the new year...)
Postdoc J.T. Greene did a great job presenting his tumor data at the Mayo Clinic/University of Minnesota joint immunology retreat. Nice work, J.T.!
We are currently seeking rotation students! Contact Tanya if you're interested in talking about projects.
Our recent paper is now available in its final, formatted version at eLife! Really proud of the great effort that Ben, Adrienne, and Myra put into this.
PhD student Ben Brian's manuscript has been accepted for publication in eLife. Nice work, Ben!!
Join us in welcoming postdoc J.T. Greene, who will study myeloid-cell signaling in the tumor microenvironment!
MSTP student Anders Lindstedt will spend his first rotation in the lab! Join us in giving him a warm welcome. (Also, ask him about his previous research experience at the NIH!)
Join us in welcoming high-school student Cissi Schultz, who is hard at work on experiments measuring macrophage and T-cell activation!
We should not neglect funding for basic research! Check out our cancer research goals within the Masonic Cancer Center at UMN!
Hard at work on revisions for PhD student Ben Brian's mansucript resubmission...
We now have a lab Twitter account! Follow @tfreedmanlab for the latest goings-on.
PhD student Ben Brian just submitted his first paper, which includes a beautiful comparison of macrophage and mast cell signaling. Check out a preprint at bioRxiv doi:10.1101/550053.
PhD students Dechen Wangmo and Aditi Bapat are spending their third rotation with us! Looking forward to investigating signaling in human macrophages and studying how Src-family kinase signaling shapes the breast tumor microenvironment!
2018
Pharmacology students in our lab are eligible for Pharmacology Department Awards, which recognize stellar research proposals, scientific leadership, and publications and subsidize travel to conferences.
Join us in welcoming researcher Adrienne Jolicoeur to the lab! Adrienne and Myra will be working together to study myeloid-cell signaling in isolated cells and in the context of autoimmune arthritis.
Thanks to the University of Minnesota Foundation and the UMN Medical School for a Faculty Equipment Award! The requested near-infrared imager is essential for us (and our colleagues) to do quantitative research in cell signaling!
Thanks to Dean Jakub Tolar for recognizing our research as part of the 130th Anniversary celebration for the UMN Medical School! - We are hard at work making new mouse models to study the unique functions of the Src-family kinases LynA and LynB! Thanks to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the NIH for the funding to get this exciting project started!
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2016
PhD student Ben Brian gave a terrific talk at the Autumn Immunology Conference in Chicago! Go Ben! - Thanks to the American Cancer Society for a UMN Masonic Cancer Center Instutional Research Grant!
- Tanya is now a member of UMN's Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology (MICaB) Graduate Program! Since their admissions priorities vary independently from year to year, potential PhD students are strongly encouraged to apply to both MICaB and the Graduate Program in Pharmacology.
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Whitney Swanson joins the lab!
Please join us in congratulating our Researcher Frankie Sjaastad, who will leave the lab pursue a PhD in the MICaB Graduate Program! - Ben Brian, a Pharmacology PhD student, joins the lab!
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2015
Thanks to the UMN Office of the Vice President for a Grant-in-Aid of Research, Artistry, and Scholarship! - We are happy to welcome Ben Brian, a rotation student from the Pharmacology Graduate Program!
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Check out our new paper in eLife!
"LynA regulates an inflammation-sensitive signaling checkpoint in macrophages" - Thanks to the University of Minnesota Foundation and the UMN Medical School for a UMF Faculty Research and Equipment Award!
- Avin Persaud and Frankie (Rosie) Rossini join the lab!
- Frankie Sjaastad joins the Freedman Lab!
- Tanya becomes a member of the Graduate Program in Pharmacology!
- Looking for a junior scientist and thinking about macrophages
Thanks to the NIH (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) for funding our R01 grant (AR073966): "Roles of the Src-family kinases LynA and LynB in macrophage inflammatory signaling!"
We are excited to begin this work and acknowledge important discussions and collaborations with colleagues Bryce Binstadt, Marc Jenkins, Kaylee Schwertfeger, and Cliff Lowell!
PhD student Ben Brian is preparing a manuscript for publication! Stay tuned for more about LynA and E3 ubiquitin ligases!
Please join us in welcoming Myra Nunez to the lab!
Thanks to the UMN Center for Autoimmune Diseases Rssearch (CADRe) for a Pilot Grant to fund our first studies of human macrophages and inflammatory arthritis!
2017
Please join us in congratulating PhD student Ben Brian for advancing to the final round of the 3 Minute Thesis competition in the UMN Medical School
PhD student Ben Brian gave a research talk at the UChicago/UMN Immunology Retreat on his recent discoveries about ultrafast degradation processes in Src-family kinases and a novel model for studying breast cancer!
We are now studying the roles of Src-family kinases in autoimmune arthritis, thanks to "New Mouse Award" funding from the UMN Center for Immunology!
2014
Safety approvals pending
Tanya moves into her office at 3-190 WMBB and her lab space at 2-200. Drop by and say “Hi”!