Laurence Wood

Laurence Wood, PhD, serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Immunotherapeutics and Biotechnology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Pharmacy. With over a decade of experience in cancer therapeutic development, his research has pioneered novel Listeria monocytogenes-based immunotherapies targeting the ISG15 pathway, leading to clinical licensing by Advaxis, Inc. His work bridges fundamental immunology and translational oncology with significant contributions to breast cancer and renal cell carcinoma treatment.

Education

• PhD in Microbiology, Rutgers University (2006)
• BS in Biology, Ursinus College (1999)

Dr. Wood's research centers on cancer immunotherapy, specifically investigating the ISG15 inflammatory pathway's role in chemotherapy resistance and tumor aggressiveness. His laboratory develops Listeria-based vaccines to sculpt anti-tumor CD8+ T cell responses and studies liposome-drug interactions with the immune system. Current projects focus on triple-negative breast cancer heterogeneity, renal cell carcinoma microenvironment dynamics, and synergistic combinations of immune checkpoint inhibitors with therapeutic vaccines. His work consistently translates basic discoveries into clinically relevant approaches for overcoming treatment resistance.

Analysis of Dr. Wood's 2015-2023 publications reveals evolving research trajectories: early work established USP18's role in immune regulation (2015-2017), followed by foundational Listeria vaccine studies (2018-2022), and recent emphasis on molecular heterogeneity in triple-negative breast cancer and renal cell carcinoma (2022-2023). His publications span immunology (Journal of Immunology), oncology (Cancer Letters), and pharmacology (Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics), demonstrating interdisciplinary impact across tumor microenvironment analysis, vaccine development, and drug delivery systems.

Dr. Wood has taught Immunology (PHAR1320, 2013) and Immunology and Immunopathology (GBTC5330, 2015) at TTUHSC. His research program includes industry partnerships exemplified by the Advaxis, Inc. licensing agreement, and maintains active collaborations with pharmaceutical scientists studying liposome-immune interactions. Current laboratory efforts focus on optimizing Listeria-based vaccines for clinical translation and investigating ISG15 pathway modulation in metastatic disease models.