The Crome Lab investigates how innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and Natural Killer (NK) cells regulate immune responses in human tissues, with a focus on the mechanisms that determine whether immunity promotes protection, tolerance, or disease. By integrating human tissue immunology, single-cell and spatial genomics, and functional studies, we investigate how local tissue environments shape immune cell identity and function in cancer, transplantation, and immune-mediated disease.
Our research spans fundamental discovery through therapeutic development. We aim to identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern immune regulation and harness these insights to develop next-generation immunotherapies, including engineered innate lymphoid cell therapies that precisely control immune responses.
Our Vision
The immune system must balance protective responses against cancer and infection with tolerance to healthy tissues. Disruption of this balance can lead to tumour immune evasion, autoimmunity, chronic inflammation, or transplant rejection. We seek to understand how innate lymphocytes establish and maintain this balance, how their functions are shaped by the tissues they inhabit, and how these regulatory mechanisms can be harnessed therapeutically. Our long-term goal is to translate discoveries in human immunity into targeted therapies that restore immune balance or enhance protective immunity.
Research Focus
Defining how innate lymphocytes regulate immunity in human tissues: We investigate the diversity, differentiation, and functional specialization of human ILCs and NK cells, with particular emphasis on their interactions with adaptive immune cells and the local tissue microenvironment. Our studies aim to identify the mechanisms that establish regulatory or inflammatory immune states and determine their contributions to cancer, transplantation, and immune-mediated disease.
Mapping the cellular and spatial organization of human immunity in health and disease: Using single-cell, multi-omic, and spatial approaches, we characterize immune populations and their interactions within human tissues. Through close collaborations with clinical teams, we investigate how tissue-specific immune programs influence disease progression, transplant outcomes, and responses to treatment, with the goal of identifying mechanisms and biomarkers that can inform therapeutic strategies.
Harnessing the regulatory and protective functions of innate lymphocytes to develop new therapies: We develop cell-based and immune-engineering approaches to control immune responses with greater precision. A major focus is the development of regulatory ILC2 therapies, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered ILC2s, to promote targeted immune regulation and transplant tolerance. We also investigate strategies to modulate NK cell and ILC function to enhance protective immunity in cancer and other diseases.
Our Approach
Our research integrates human immunology, mechanistic discovery, and therapeutic development through complementary experimental platforms:
Patient-based discovery: Clinical cohorts and human tissue studies that connect immune mechanisms with disease outcomes.
Single-cell and spatial genomics: High-dimensional profiling to resolve immune cell states, tissue organization, and cellular interactions.
Functional and mechanistic immunology: Experimental approaches to define the signals and cellular interactions controlling innate lymphocyte function.
Human tissue and translational models: Systems to investigate immune regulation in physiologically relevant contexts.
Immune engineering and cell therapy: Genetic and functional engineering of innate lymphocytes to develop targeted immunotherapeutic strategies.
Together, these approaches allow us to move from identifying immune programs in human tissues to defining their mechanisms and developing strategies to manipulate them therapeutically.
Training & Opportunities
The Crome Lab provides a collaborative, interdisciplinary training environment at the interface of human immunology, genomics, and therapeutic development. Trainees gain experience in advanced immunological and genomic technologies, mechanistic research, and translational models while working closely with scientists and clinical collaborators. We encourage scientific curiosity, independent thinking, and collaborative research, with opportunities to contribute to both fundamental discoveries and the development of new immunotherapies.