Dr. Andrew Luster is a preeminent immunologist and distinguished academic leader at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. He currently serves as the Persis, Cyrus and Marlow B. Harrison Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and holds the position of Chief of the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Additionally, he directs the Research Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases and serves as the E. Alexandria and Michael N. Altman Chair in Immunology at MGH. Dr. Luster completed his undergraduate studies summa cum laude at Duke University in 1981, where he was awarded the prize for most distinguished graduating biology major, before entering an NIH-funded Medical Scientist Training Program. He earned his Ph.D. from Rockefeller University in 1987 and his M.D. from Cornell University Medical College in 1988, receiving the New York State Annual Medical School Research Award for his doctoral work.
Dr. Luster has been a pioneering force in the chemokine field for over four decades, making seminal contributions to understanding how chemotactic cytokines regulate immune responses in health and disease. His laboratory's discovery and characterization of CXCL10 (IP-10) launched a new era of research into chemokine biology, fundamentally transforming our understanding of immune cell trafficking mechanisms. His work has defined how chemokines and lipid chemoattractants function in host responses to infectious pathogens and cancer, as well as in the pathogenesis of autoimmune and allergic diseases. More recently, Dr. Luster's research has focused on resident memory effector and regulatory T cells, uncovering their critical roles in tissue immunity and their contributions to both protective responses against respiratory viral pathogens and pathological conditions like allergic asthma. His investigations into the T cell response to SARS-CoV-2 and influenza have provided foundational knowledge for developing improved vaccination strategies that enhance protective immunity at barrier surfaces.
Beyond his transformative laboratory discoveries, Dr. Luster has shaped the field through leadership in major research initiatives and training programs, including directing the NIH-funded Research Training in Pulmonary Immunology and Allergy program. He has mentored numerous trainees who have established successful research programs across immunology and related disciplines, significantly contributing to the development of the next generation of scientific leaders. As Principal Investigator on multiple NIH grants and director of key research centers, Dr. Luster continues to advance our understanding of immunological mechanisms in disease pathogenesis and protection. His current research focuses on unraveling the genetic programs governing resident memory T cell differentiation, function, and maintenance in tissues, with the goal of developing novel therapeutic approaches for inflammatory and allergic diseases while enhancing protective immunity against pathogens.
