Mark Exley, Ph.D.,

is Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Exley is an academic co-founder of the Company and is an expert in the biology of NKT cells and their role immune regulation.  His research interests are in the area of cellular immunology, and the regulatory interactions between subpopulations of immune cells.  To this end, he and Dr. Wilson co-developed anti-NKT cell monoclonal antibody 6B11 used in Dr. Balk’s clinical trial.  In particular, Dr. Exley is interested in the identification, function, and molecular mechanisms by which some subpopulations of lymphocytes amplify the immune response and some suppress it.  Investigation into interactions of NKT cells during the immune response to infectious diseases, cancers and in bone marrow transplants are major focuses of his laboratory’s research.  Developing therapeutic strategies for infectious diseases, cancers and graft-versus-host disease (a major complication of bone marrow transplantation) based on these principles are major goals.  Specific areas of research include: (i) Immune response to acute virus infections.  His research programs are studying the mechanisms of NKT cell contributions to viral resistance at the cellular and molecular levels in laboratory animals and in humans with deficiencies of immunity.  (ii)  Immune response in chronic virus infections, where immunity can contribute to organ damage as well as resistance.  (iii)  Immunity in cancers:  His laboratory is involved in identifying cells involved in augmenting or suppressing natural anti-tumor immunity and how to optimize responses directly and through vaccines.  (iv) Identifying cells involved in suppressing or augmenting graft-versus-host disease.  Dr. Exley has published over 55 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals as well as reviews and book chapters and serves on the editorial boards of a number of immunology journals.  He has received a number of research awards and grants from federal and other agencies.

Dr. Exley received his B.S. from Imperial College, London University and his Ph.D. from the Institute of Cancer Research, London University.  He completed his post-doctoral fellowship at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston.  Prior to joining Beth Israel Deaconess Med. Ctr., Dr. Exley was a Scientist at Immulogic, Inc.