A macaque TIGIT shedding difference
A T119R sequence difference permits plasmin cleavage of macaque TIGIT in the tested systems.
UC Davis School of Medicine
Jogender Tushir-Singh, Ph.D.
Associate Professor · Medical Microbiology & Immunology
Antibody engineering and cancer immunology, with a focus on the signals that help immune cells kill solid tumors.
Selected Research
Why human FasL is vulnerable to plasmin
The team traced a human-specific residue change to protease sensitivity and tested how FasL cleavage affects T-cell-mediated tumor killing.
The regulatory Fas epitope
Mapping a Fas/CD95 epitope clarifies antibody agonism and a CAR-T bystander response in ovarian cancer models.
From cell biology to therapeutic design
Jogi's scientific background spans molecular cell biology, RNA regulation, and therapeutic protein engineering. During his doctoral research at the University of Notre Dame, he investigated ARF6-mediated signaling and epithelial cell organization. His postdoctoral work in Phillip Zamore's laboratory examined piRNA biology, providing further experience in the molecular mechanisms governing cellular function.
He subsequently transitioned into therapeutic antibody development, holding scientific positions at AbbVie and Boehringer Ingelheim before establishing an independent laboratory at the University of Virginia in 2015. After relocating his research program to UC Davis in 2021, his work has continued to investigate cancer-cell death receptors, immune signaling, and engineered antibodies, with particular emphasis on Fas/CD95, DR5, and mechanisms affecting immunotherapy in solid tumors.
Biography and appointments →Featured publications
Evolutionary regulation of human Fas ligand (CD95L) by plasmin in solid cancer immunotherapy
Brice E N Wamba, Tanmoy Mondal, Francis Freenor V, Mehr Shaheed, Oliver Pang et al.
Nature communications · Original research · DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-60990-0
An evolutionary T119R substitution in the macaque T-cell immunoreceptor TIGIT enables proteolytic shedding and reveals clinical antibody vulnerabilities
Eric Pirillo, Francis Freenor V, Brice E N Wamba, Sanchita Bhatnagar, Tanmoy Mondal et al.
The Journal of biological chemistry · Original research · DOI 10.1016/j.jbc.2025.110962
Characterizing the regulatory Fas (CD95) epitope critical for agonist antibody targeting and CAR-T bystander function in ovarian cancer
Tanmoy Mondal, Himanshu Gaur, Brice E N Wamba, Abby Grace Michalak, Camryn Stout et al.
Cell death and differentiation · Original research · DOI 10.1038/s41418-023-01229-7
A Single-Agent Dual-Specificity Targeting of FOLR1 and DR5 as an Effective Strategy for Ovarian Cancer
Gururaj Shivange, Karol Urbanek, Piotr Przanowski, Justin S A Perry, James Jones et al.
Cancer cell · Original research · DOI 10.1016/j.ccell.2018.07.005
Technology and invention
Public records document bispecific antibodies, Fas-directed formats and protein designs linked to the research program.
Explore patents and technologies →