Leszek Ignatowicz

Leszek Ignatowicz is a Professor at the Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Georgia State University, specializing in immunology with a focus on T cell biology and immune tolerance mechanisms. He earned his B.S. (1984) and M.S. (1985) from Wroclaw University's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and his Ph.D. (1990) from the Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy in Wroclaw, Poland.

Research Interests: Dr. Ignatowicz investigates T cell development, regulatory T cell function, and immune tolerance using genetically engineered mouse models. His work explores how thymic selection shapes T cell receptor repertoires and how dysregulation leads to autoimmune conditions. A key discovery includes demonstrating the critical role of thymus-derived regulatory T cells in maintaining intestinal homeostasis through tolerance to commensal microbiota.

Publication Trends: His recent research (2013-2021) emphasizes regulatory T cell biology, mucosal immunity, microbiome interactions, and computational analysis of T cell receptor repertoires, with consistent applications in autoimmune disease and transplantation immunology.

Awards:

• The Roche Organ Transplantation Research Foundation Recognition Prize (2011) for transformative work on regulatory T cells in transplantation

Laboratory Focus: The lab employs murine models and bioinformatics to study antigen-specific tolerance mechanisms, T cell repertoire diversity, and the interplay between commensal microbiota and immune regulation. Current projects examine epitope-driven T cell anergy and microbiota influences on colonic Treg differentiation.