Kristin joined the Inflammation and Oncology research group at Amgen San Francisco in 2017. Prior to this, Kristin was a principal investigator at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), where she was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from President Obama.  At NIDDK, the Tarbell lab studied the role of dendritic cells in eliciting T cell tolerance, and defects in these DC-T cell interactions that occur in the context of chronic autoimmunity. Kristin completed her postdoctoral studies at Rockefeller University with Nobel Laureate Ralph Steinman where she published some of the first evidence that dendritic cells can expand regulatory T cells (Tregs) and that antigen-specific Tregs can potently reverse established autoimmunity.  Her Ph.D. thesis project focused on the phenotype of autoreactive T cells in a model of autoimmune diabetes.

At Amgen, Kristin leads immuno-oncology therapeutic projects targeting both myeloid and T cells as well as some basic research efforts. In collaboration with Dr. Monte Winslow at Stanford University School of Medicine, she and her post-doc are elucidating the cross-talk between neoplastic cells and myeloid cells, especially macrophages, in tumors. Genetic changes in the neoplastic cells that accumulate in the metastatic process drive shifts in macrophage phenotype and function.  Kristin also collaborates with the Protein Design Institute at the University of Washington to generate protein nanocages with the potential to induce T cell tolerance.  The goal is to find ways to enhance antigen-specific Treg function and stability.

Featured Publications

Rahman MJ, Rodrigues KB, Quiel JA, Liu Y, Bhargava V, Zhao Y, Hotta-Iwamura C, Shih HY, Lau-Kilby AW, Malloy AM, Thoner TW, Tarbell KV. Restoration of the type I IFN-IL-1 balance through targeted blockade of PTGER4 inhibits autoimmunity in NOD mice. JCI Insight. 2018 https://insight.jci.org/articles/view/97843

Hotta-Iwamura C, Benck C, Coley WD, Liu Y, Zhao Y, Quiel JA, Tarbell KV. Low CD25 on autoreactive Tregs impairs tolerance via low dose IL-2 and antigen delivery. J Autoimmun. 2018 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896841117307357?via%3Dihub

Price JD*, Hotta-Iwamura C*, Zhao Y, Beauchamp NM, and Tarbell KV. DCIR2+ cDC2 DCs and Zbtb32 restore CD4 T cell tolerance and inhibit diabetes. *equal contribution. Diabetes 2015 Oct; 64(10):3521-31. https://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/64/10/3521.long

Tarbell KV, Petit L, Zuo X, Toy P, Luo X, Mqadmi A, Yamazaki S, Mojsov S, Steinman RM. Dendritic cell-expanded, islet-specific, CD4+CD25+CD62L+ regulatory T cell restore normoglycemia in diabetic NOD mice. J. Exp. Med. 2007 V204: 191–201. https://rupress.org/jem/article/204/1/191/46491/Dendritic-cell-expanded-islet-specific-CD4-CD25

Tarbell KV, Yamazaki S, Olson K, Toy P, Steinman RM. CD25+ CD4+ T cells, expanded with dendritic cells presenting a single autoantigenic peptide, suppress autoimmune diabetes. J. Exp. Med. 2004 199: 1467-1477. https://rupress.org/jem/article/199/11/1467/39983/CD25-CD4-T-Cells-Expanded-with-Dendritic-Cells

Education

Research Associate and Postdoctoral Fellowship, Rockefeller University
Ph.D., Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine
B.A., Cell Biology, Cornell University