Dr. Dutton was born in Great Britain, has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from London University, (UK)and a Masters of Arts and Bachelor of Arts degree in Biochemistry from the Cambridge University(UK). He spent many years as a Professor in the Department of Biology, for the University of San Diego, including service as Department Chair from 1986-1988, and is currently a member of the Trudeau Institute, Inc., in Saranac Lake, New York. He served as President of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) and was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for his distinguished scientific accomplishment and extraordinary service to the AAI in April, 2004. In the past he has held membership in various organizations and received many awards, such as the American Cancer Society Faculty Research Award. He has over 200 publications to date.

Research Interests

The biological role of T1 and T2 subsets of CD8 T cells. The choice of Th1 and Th2 subsets of CD4 helper T cells in the response to pathogen have been shown to have profound effects on resistance and susceptibility to disease. Similar subsets of Tc1 and Tc2 CD8 T cells exist in various clinical conditions and we have shown that they can be generated in vitro. The two populations of CD8 T cells secrete very different profiles of cytokines and these cytokines, in turn, act on other cells of the hemopoietic system and can influence the expression of adhesion molecules, chemokines and chemokine receptors that determine cell trafficking and entry of cells into sites where the pathogen or tumor might be located. The overall response of the system to the antigen initiated by these two populations can thus be expected to be very different and lead to quite different outcomes with respect to susceptibility or resistance. Our studies seek to determine which subsets are most effective in resistance to a variety of pathogens and to tumors and the mechanism of their action.
The immune response to tumors. In other studies we are investigating the mechanism of tumor rejection in several tumor models.
Immunological Memory. We are studying the mechanisms that control the generation, nature and persistence of CD8 memory cell populations.
Homeostatic control of lymphocyte populations. We have begun an analysis of the mechanisms that control the size of naive, effector and memory populations of CD8 T cells.