Richard Coico

Biography

Richard Coico, MS, Ph.D. is Professor of Cell Biology and Medicine, Vice Dean for Scientific Affairs, and Director of the Clinical and Translational Science Center (http://www.downstate.edu/ctsc/) at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. Dr. Coico earned his Ph.D. in immunology from New York University. His research has focused on the study of the role of immunoglobulin D (IgD) in lymphocyte regulation. His lab was the first to identify IgD-receptors on helper T cells and to show that interactions between such cells and IgD-expressing B cells causes bi-directional regulatory consequences that significantly enhance immune responses. In other studies, he has used computational and bioinformatics approaches to identify candidate peptide vaccines for hemorrhagic viruses such as Ebola and Lassa. His group was the first to identify immunogenic Lassa virus peptides capable of stimulating cytotoxic T cell responses in humanized mice. More recently, in pre-clinical studies he and his co-workers investigated the development and application of immunotherapeutic approaches to treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease using beta-amyloid peptides.

Research Interest

Cytotoxicity T cell responses in humanized mice