Jessica N. Lancaster

Jessica N. Lancaster, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Immunology at Mayo Clinic, with affiliations in both Rochester, MN, and Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ. She holds an administrative appointment as Senior Associate Consultant II-Research and leads the Aging and Immune Restoration Laboratory, where she investigates how aging affects immune system function.

Dr. Lancaster earned her BSE in Bioengineering and BA in Languages and Literatures from Arizona State University, followed by a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering and a postdoctoral fellowship in Molecular Biosciences, both at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research focuses on T and B cell biology, immune responses to infection and vaccination, and immune cell interactions within solid tumors, using advanced techniques such as live-cell imaging, genomics, and in vitro cell culture.

Her research interests center on understanding how age-associated changes in the immune microenvironment lead to impaired T cell recruitment, delayed immune responses, and reduced efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. She studies the structural organization of lymphoid tissues and the impact of fibrosis on immune cell movement and function. Her work is highly interdisciplinary, bridging immunology, aging, and tissue engineering.

Dr. Lancaster's recent publications highlight a convergence of immunology and biomaterials science, with studies on 3D-printed vascular grafts, polymeric biomaterials for health applications, and hydrogels for pelvic organ prolapse. These reflect her collaborative work in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, particularly through her role as Co-PI on an NSF-funded project.

She is principal investigator on a National Institute on Aging-funded project investigating the role of lymph node structural organization in naïve T cell decline with age, and co-principal investigator on an NSF Future Manufacturing grant focused on bio-printing hybrid platforms for tissue engineering. These grants underscore her leadership in securing competitive research funding.

Dr. Lancaster mentors students and researchers in her laboratory and contributes to Mayo Clinic’s postdoctoral training programs. Her lab fosters a positive and diverse environment for scientific training. She is actively publishing, with recent articles in journals such as Aging Cell, Advanced Materials Technologies, and Small, covering both fundamental immunology and applied biomaterials research.