Scientific Areas of Expertise: Immunology, Protein Engineering, Structural Biology
For world-renowned contributions to the fields of immunology and structural biology, defining the biophysical properties of receptor-ligand binding, and the visualization of protein complexes crucial to the understanding of the immune system and drug design, including the first structural view of a T-cell receptor bound to a peptide-MHC complex and for defining the crystal structures of several important immunoregulatory proteins, including interleukins and interferons.
An internationally recognized pioneer in immunology and structural biology, Dr. Garcia is recognized for his seminal discoveries that defined the biophysical properties of receptor-ligand binding, the structures of protein complexes crucial to molecular mechanisms, and signaling necessary to determine cell functions and fate. Dr Garcia’s contribution is invaluable in the field of cytokine science as he defined the structural basis of how cytokine receptors engage and signal in response to cytokine binding. His brilliantly innovative use of crystallography and proteogenomic screening resolved the crystal structures of several important immunoregulatory proteins, including interleukins, interferons, and several ligand/receptor binding pairs including Wnt/Frizzled, and Notch/Jag1/DLL4. These pivotal discoveries established the study of cytokine pharmacology and immunotherapy and have served as the basis of development of new small molecules drugs for cancer treatment.
More recently, Dr. Garcia and his team are trying to define the relationship between the structural mode of T-cell Receptor (TCR) and Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) interaction to identify signaling and cross-reactivity. His revolutionary methods of peptide ligand discovery are based on yeast surface display of peptide-MHC which allows for quantification of TCR cross-reactivity. This important methodology is also being applied to the identification of endogenous peptide ligands for “orphan” TCRs that are important in immune disease, such as autoimmune TCRs, TCRs resident on tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, and protective TCRs expanded during viral infection. Ultimately, Dr Garcia is a world leader in structural biology, cytokine signaling and receptor/ligand biology. With his combinatorial biology approaches, he is reshaping the field of pharmacology and his world-renown structures provide a fundamental knowledge base for the development of new drugs and therapies for cancer.
Selected Awards and Honors
2021 BioLegend William E. Paul Award, International Cytokine and Interferon Society, Oradell, New Jersey
2016 Elected Member, National Academy of Medicine, Washington, DC
2015 Elected Member, Infosys Prize Mathematical Sciences Jury, Infosys Science Foundation, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
2013 NIH MERIT Award, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
2012 Elected Member, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
2004 Established Investigator, American Heart Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2002 Keck Distinguished Scholar in Medical Sciences, W. M. Keck Foundation, Los Angeles, California
2001 Pew Scholar for Biomedical Sciences, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2000 New Investigator Award, Cancer Research Institute, New York, New York
1999 New Investigator Award, American Heart Association Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1999 Selected Scholar, Rita Allen Foundation, Princeton, New Jersey
1999 Frederick J. Terman Junior Faculty Award, American Society for Engineering Education, Washington, DC
1999 Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Award, March of Dimes, Arlington, Virginia
[Institutional affiliations listed for Fellows reflect those held at the time of their induction into the AACR Academy.]