Robert Homer, MD, PhD
Professor of Pathology and of Medicine (Pulmonary)Cards
Appointments
Additional Titles
Director of Medical Studies, Anatomic Pathology
Contact Info
Appointments
Additional Titles
Director of Medical Studies, Anatomic Pathology
Contact Info
Appointments
Additional Titles
Director of Medical Studies, Anatomic Pathology
Contact Info
About
Titles
Professor of Pathology and of Medicine (Pulmonary)
Director of Medical Studies, Anatomic Pathology
Biography
Historically, my major interests have been in diagnostic and experimental lung pathology. I was lead thoracic pathologist at Yale from 2004 to 2022 and have experience in diagnosing and classifying the full range of histopathology of clinical lung disease. I was also Director of Anatomic Pathology at VA Connecticut HealthCare system (aka the West Haven VA) from 1994 to 2022.
My PhD was on aspects of the murine MHC. My post doctoral fellowship was with Richard Flavell on development of T cell tolerance. Since then, I have helped evaluate various murine models of inflammatory lung disease, ran an NIH funded morphology core for the Yale pulmonary section, and ran a basic laboratory at West Haven VA looking at murine models of pulmonary fibrosis. I now mostly consult on various experimental models of lung disease and work with collaborators analyzing human fibrotic and neoplastic disease.
I am heavily involved in medical school curriculum development as Director of Medical Education for Pathology. I am Co-Director of the pre-clerkship YSM course Attacks and Defenses (covering immunology, infectious disease, microbiology, rheumatology and dermatology). One of my major current interests is exploring use of Large Language Models in medical education.
Appointments
Pathology
Professor Phased RetirementPrimaryPulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine
ProfessorSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Autopsy
- Cancer Signaling Networks
- Cardiovascular Pathology
- Center for Thoracic Cancers
- Creed House Affiliates
- Internal Medicine
- Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) Program
- Occupational & Environmental Lung Diseases Program
- Pathology
- Pathology and Molecular Medicine
- Pathology Research
- Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine
- Surgical Pathology
- Thoracic Pathology
- Yale Cancer Center
- Yale Medicine
- Yale Ventures
Education & Training
- Resident
- Yale-New Haven Hospital (1992)
- PhD
- Yale University (1987)
- MD
- Yale University (1987)
Research
Overview
(1) Pathology of neoplastic and inflammatory lung diseases.
2) Miscellaneous interests include autopsy pathology, case reports, and quality assurance issues in pathology.
Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
ORCID
0000-0002-2055-5885
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
Research Interests
Lauren Cohn, MD
Naftali Kaminski, MD
David Rimm, MD, PhD
Mridu Gulati, MD
Akiko Iwasaki, PhD
Farida Ahangari, MD
Lung
Asthma
Pulmonary Fibrosis
Lung Neoplasms
Lung Diseases, Interstitial
Acute Lung Injury
Publications
2024
ASCL1 Drives Tolerance to Osimertinib in EGFR Mutant Lung Cancer in Permissive Cellular Contexts.
Hu B, Wiesehöfer M, de Miguel F, Liu Z, Chan L, Choi J, Melnick M, Arnal Estape A, Walther Z, Zhao D, Lopez-Giraldez F, Wurtz A, Cai G, Fan R, Gettinger S, Xiao A, Yan Q, Homer R, Nguyen D, Politi K. ASCL1 Drives Tolerance to Osimertinib in EGFR Mutant Lung Cancer in Permissive Cellular Contexts. Cancer Research 2024, 84: 1303-1319. PMID: 38359163, PMCID: PMC11142404, DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-0438.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsTyrosine kinase inhibitorsPatient-derived xenograftsEGFR mutant lung cancerMutant lung cancerPre-treatment tumorsResidual diseaseDrug toleranceLung cancerResidual tumor cells in vivoEGFR mutant lung adenocarcinomaTyrosine kinase inhibitor osimertinibEGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitorsTyrosine kinase inhibitor treatmentTumor cells in vivoMutant lung adenocarcinomaMaximal tumor regressionTranscription factor Ascl1Drug-tolerant cellsTime of maximal responseEvidence of cellsCells in vivoOsimertinib treatmentTumor regressionSingle cell transcriptional profilingTumor cellsEGFR-driven lung adenocarcinomas coopt alveolar macrophage metabolism and function to support EGFR signaling and growth.
Kuhlmann-Hogan A, Cordes T, Xu Z, Kuna R, Traina K, Robles-Oteiza C, Ayeni D, Kwong E, Levy S, Globig A, Nobari M, Cheng G, Leibel S, Homer R, Shaw R, Metallo C, Politi K, Kaech S. EGFR-driven lung adenocarcinomas coopt alveolar macrophage metabolism and function to support EGFR signaling and growth. Cancer Discovery 2024, 14: 524-545. PMID: 38241033, PMCID: PMC11258210, DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-23-0434.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsConceptsLung adenocarcinomaGM-CSFEGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinomaGM-CSF secretionProinflammatory immune responseSuppress tumor progressionLocal immunosuppressionStatin therapyTherapeutic combinationsNovel therapiesTumor cellsTumor progressionTumor growthLung adenocarcinoma cellsEGFR phosphorylationImmune responseTransformed epitheliumCancer cellsInflammatory functionsEGFR signalingMacrophage metabolismAlveolar macrophagesIncreased cholesterol synthesisMetabolic supportOncogenic signalingEGFR-Driven Lung Adenocarcinomas Co-opt Alveolar Macrophage Metabolism and Function to Support EGFR Signaling and Growth.
Kuhlmann-Hogan A, Cordes T, Xu Z, Kuna R, Traina K, Robles-Oteíza C, Ayeni D, Kwong E, Levy S, Globig A, Nobari M, Cheng G, Leibel S, Homer R, Shaw R, Metallo C, Politi K, Kaech S. EGFR-Driven Lung Adenocarcinomas Co-opt Alveolar Macrophage Metabolism and Function to Support EGFR Signaling and Growth. Cancer Discovery 2024, of1-of22. PMID: 38270272, DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-23-0434.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsLung adenocarcinomaGM-CSFEGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinomaT cell-based immunotherapyTransformed epitheliumOncogenic signalingGM-CSF secretionProinflammatory immune responseSuppress tumor progressionLocal immunosuppressionStatin therapyTherapeutic combinationsNovel therapiesTumor cellsTumor progressionTumor growthLung cancerLung adenocarcinoma cellsEGFR phosphorylationImmune responseImmunological supportCancer cellsInflammatory functionsAlveolar macrophagesIncreased cholesterol synthesis
2023
Alveolar Vascular Remodeling in Nonspecific Interstitial Pneumonia: Replacement of Normal Lung Capillaries with COL15A1-Positive Endothelial Cells.
Schupp J, Manning E, Chioccioli M, Kamp J, Christian L, Ryu C, Herzog E, Kühnel M, Prasse A, Kaminski N, Jonigk D, Homer R, Neubert L, Ius F, stringJustet A, Hariri L, Seeliger B, Welte T, Knipe R, Gottlieb J. Alveolar Vascular Remodeling in Nonspecific Interstitial Pneumonia: Replacement of Normal Lung Capillaries with COL15A1-Positive Endothelial Cells. American Journal Of Respiratory And Critical Care Medicine 2023, 208: 819-822. PMID: 37552025, PMCID: PMC10563189, DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202303-0544le.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricSRC and TKS5 mediated podosome formation in fibroblasts promotes extracellular matrix invasion and pulmonary fibrosis
Barbayianni I, Kanellopoulou P, Fanidis D, Nastos D, Ntouskou E, Galaris A, Harokopos V, Hatzis P, Tsitoura E, Homer R, Kaminski N, Antoniou K, Crestani B, Tzouvelekis A, Aidinis V. SRC and TKS5 mediated podosome formation in fibroblasts promotes extracellular matrix invasion and pulmonary fibrosis. Nature Communications 2023, 14: 5882. PMID: 37735172, PMCID: PMC10514346, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41614-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsPulmonary fibrosisExtracellular matrix invasionLung fibroblastsIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patientsIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosisPulmonary fibrosis patientsMatrix invasionPromising therapeutic optionProfibrotic milieuTherapeutic optionsLung tissuePathogenic hallmarkPharmacological targetingFibrosisFibrosis patientsIncurable diseaseEx vivoBleomycinExtracellular matrix componentsTks5 expressionAberrant depositionInvasionMiceFibroblastsSrc kinasePolymer nanoparticles deliver mRNA to the lung for mucosal vaccination
Suberi A, Grun M, Mao T, Israelow B, Reschke M, Grundler J, Akhtar L, Lee T, Shin K, Piotrowski-Daspit A, Homer R, Iwasaki A, Suh H, Saltzman W. Polymer nanoparticles deliver mRNA to the lung for mucosal vaccination. Science Translational Medicine 2023, 15: eabq0603. PMID: 37585505, PMCID: PMC11137749, DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abq0603.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2Acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2Respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2Lethal viral challengeAntigen-presenting cellsSyndrome coronavirus 2Humoral adaptive immunityLung-targeting deliveryIntranasal vaccinationMucosal vaccinationPulmonary diseaseMucosal vaccinesSusceptible miceCoronavirus 2Viral challengeAdaptive immunityLungTranslational potentialMessenger RNA (mRNA) therapeuticsVaccinationMRNADeliveryTherapeuticsRNA therapeuticsTherapeutic deliveryMammalian SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes promote tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance in EGFR-mutant lung cancer
de Miguel F, Gentile C, Feng W, Silva S, Sankar A, Exposito F, Cai W, Melnick M, Robles-Oteiza C, Hinkley M, Tsai J, Hartley A, Wei J, Wurtz A, Li F, Toki M, Rimm D, Homer R, Wilen C, Xiao A, Qi J, Yan Q, Nguyen D, Jänne P, Kadoch C, Politi K. Mammalian SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes promote tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance in EGFR-mutant lung cancer. Cancer Cell 2023, 41: 1516-1534.e9. PMID: 37541244, PMCID: PMC10957226, DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2023.07.005.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsMammalian SWI/SNF chromatinSWI/SNF chromatinMSWI/SNF complexesGenome-wide localizationGene regulatory signaturesNon-genetic mechanismsEpithelial cell differentiationEGFR-mutant cellsChromatin accessibilitySNF complexCellular programsRegulatory signaturesTKI-resistant lung cancerGene targetsKinase inhibitor resistanceCell differentiationMesenchymal transitionTKI resistancePharmacologic disruptionTyrosine kinase inhibitor resistanceCell proliferationChromatinInhibitor resistanceEGFR-mutant lungKinase inhibitorsIFN-γ Is Protective in Cytokine Release Syndrome-associated Extrapulmonary Acute Lung Injury.
Sun Y, Hu B, Stanley G, Harris ZM, Gautam S, Homer R, Koff JL, Rajagopalan G. IFN-γ Is Protective in Cytokine Release Syndrome-associated Extrapulmonary Acute Lung Injury. American Journal Of Respiratory Cell And Molecular Biology 2023, 68: 75-89. PMID: 36125351, PMCID: PMC9817908, DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2022-0117oc.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsCytokine release syndromeAcute lung injuryExtrapulmonary acute lung injuryIFN-γ KO miceIL-17ALung injuryKO miceStaphylococcal enterotoxin BRelease syndromeIL-17A KO miceSevere acute lung injuryAcute respiratory distress syndromeSystemic T cell activationEnterotoxin BAdaptive T lymphocytesDR3 transgenic miceNeutralization of IFNRespiratory distress syndromeHuman leukocyte antigenRole of IFNT cell cytokinesJanus kinase inhibitorS100A8/A9T cell activationALI parameters
2022
Unadjuvanted intranasal spike vaccine elicits protective mucosal immunity against sarbecoviruses
Mao T, Israelow B, Peña-Hernández MA, Suberi A, Zhou L, Luyten S, Reschke M, Dong H, Homer RJ, Saltzman WM, Iwasaki A. Unadjuvanted intranasal spike vaccine elicits protective mucosal immunity against sarbecoviruses. Science 2022, 378: eabo2523. PMID: 36302057, PMCID: PMC9798903, DOI: 10.1126/science.abo2523.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsRespiratory mucosaSystemic immunityLethal SARS-CoV-2 infectionAcute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemicSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemicSARS-CoV-2 infectionProtective mucosal immunityCross-reactive immunityT cell responsesCoronavirus 2 pandemicPrimary vaccinationParenteral vaccinesMucosal immunityVaccine strategiesRespiratory tractImmunoglobulin AMemory BImmune memoryPartial immunityCell responsesPoor immunityImmunitySpike proteinMucosaVaccineEP14.05-021 Promising Long-Term Survival after Surgical Resection of Early Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer in a Modern Single-Center Cohort
Ely S, Udelsman B, Homer R, Dhanasopon A, Woodard G. EP14.05-021 Promising Long-Term Survival after Surgical Resection of Early Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer in a Modern Single-Center Cohort. Journal Of Thoracic Oncology 2022, 17: s552-s553. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2022.07.996.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
Determining Mechanisms of Sensitivity and Resistance to Anti-Cancer Therapy for Advanced Lung Cancer
HIC ID1603017333RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date06/20/2026Recruiting Participants
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
activity American Journal of Pathology
Journal ServiceEditorial Board MemberDetails08/04/2023 - Presentactivity APC Advocacy committee
Advisory BoardsBoard MemberDetailsAssociation of Pathology ChairsAcademically-focused advocacy objectives in education, practice and research.08/25/2023 - Presentactivity From Bots to Docs, Harnessing AI in the medical education journey
LectureAssociation of Pathology Chairs, Undergraduate Medical Education SectionDetails07/10/2023 - 07/12/2023Chicago, IL, United Stateshonor Keynote address
International AwardPulmonary Pathology SocietyDetails06/24/2009United States
Clinical Care
Overview
Robert Homer, MD, PhD, a pathologist, specializes in detecting diseases including cancers in and around the lungs. He is particularly interested in lung diseases leading to fibrosis, including those from exposures to foreign materials. He became interested in pathology as a graduate student—he wanted to know more about the structure and mechanisms of disease.
Dr. Homer is a professor of pathology at Yale School of Medicine.
Clinical Specialties
Fact Sheets
Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD)
Learn More on Yale Medicine
Board Certifications
Anatomic Pathology
- Certification Organization
- AB of Pathology
- Original Certification Date
- 1991
Yale Medicine News
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Media
- Eosinophilic response in fibrotic lung disease.
News
- June 21, 2024Source: College of American Pathologists Today
How-well-does-chatgpt-do-on-pathology-questions?
- April 01, 2024
Yale Faculty Present Groundbreaking Clinical Research at the 2024 American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions
- August 03, 2023
Lung Adenocarcinomas: New Findings About Resistance to Targeted Therapies
- June 21, 2022
Yale Pathology to be Represented at the Pulmonary Pathology Society Meeting in Cork, Ireland
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Are You a Patient? View this doctor's clinical profile on the Yale Medicine website for information about the services we offer and making an appointment.