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Dr. Richard Ford is a Professor of Medicine and serves as the Chief of the Section of Pathobiology, Department of Molecular Pathology of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
An important interest of his laboratory relates to cell growth control in normal and neoplastic human B lymphocytes. The B lymphocyte lineage is primarily involved in generating humoral (antibody) immune responses. Such humoral responses are the result of B cell differentiation to the ultimate plasma cell stage, and are mediated through production of various isotypes of immunoglobulin. Growth and differentiation of B cells is regulated in later (mature) stages by antigen-presenting cells, through cell interactions with co-stimulatory molecules (CD40 ligand, etc.) and the production of a group of B cell cytokines by T helper cells (CD4+; TH2). His laboratory is involved in the discovery, purification, sequencing, and ultimately the cloning of members of this cytokine group (IL4, 10, 13, 14, 15, and several new members).
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