Clinical Fellow
Nathan M. Johnson MD, PhD attended the University of Oregon from 2007-2012 where he obtained his B.S. in Biology. During this time he was a member of Prof. Charles Kimmel’s Lab studying zebrafish craniofacial development and pathways of early bone development through the generation of transgenic reporter lines.
He went on to work as a Laboratory Technician in Dr. Lisa Maves lab from 2012-2015 at Seattle Children’s Hospital developing a zebrafish model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). This model was used for high throughput drug screening, and subsequently, for elucidating the mechanisms behind identified drugs. During this time he was also part of projects characterizing the causal gene of Acromelic Frontonasal Dysostosis (AFND) in collaboration with Dr. Michael Cunningham, and evaluating the role of private binding site recognition in steering lineage specifications for master regulators of myogenesis and neurogenesis in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Tapscott at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
He joined the Physician Scientist Program at Tulane University School of Medicine in 2015, earning his MD and PhD in immunology and cell-based immunotherapy in 2022. His graduate work was in the laboratory of Dr. Stephen Braun at the Tulane National Primate Research Center and involved the generation of genetically modified T cells targeted to HIV envelope protein utilizing a CAR T cell approach. In a reversal of the critical step in the HIV viral lifecycle whereby virus targets CD4+host cells using its Env glycoprotein, their genetic modifications featured a CD4 directed CAR, effectively steering host immune responses to target and kill Env expressing infected cells. Their CAR constructs featured two novel aspects: bicistronic inclusion of an maC46 domain to prevent viral infection of transduced T cells and a starting population for transduction of CMV- specific T cells aimed to impart in vivo persistence based on the long-lasting effector memory properties observed in CMV immune responses. They hypothesized that continuous stimulation of CD4-CAR T cells through their rhCMV-specific TCR would maintain activated T effector memory CTL capable of targeting HIV infected cells. The constructs were tested in a non-human primate model, the rhesus macaque, to show both clinical relevance and safety.
In 2022 he joined the Yale Physician Scientist Training Program (PSTP), completing his Internal Medicine Residency in 2024, and currently joining the section of Rheumatology to complete his fellowship. He aims to build off his prior experience with genetic engineering, immunology, and cell-based immunotherapy to explore new therapeutic options for those suffering from rheumatologic conditions.