Jennifer M. Bailey-Lundberg, PhD
Associate Professor, UNMC Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
Director, Solid Tumor Cancer Immunology Section
Dr. Jennifer M. Bailey-Lundberg’s research lies at the intersection of cancer biology, immunology, and cellular plasticity, with a primary focus on epithelial cell interactions with both innate and adaptive immune systems. Her lab is particularly interested in the pathogenesis and immune responses triggered by inflammation in the pancreas, specifically exploring how Kras mutations in exocrine pancreatic cells affect the tumor microenvironment using mouse models of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.
The lab also works closely with gastroenterologists specializing in interventional gastroenterology, as well as medical and surgical oncologists at UTHealth in Houston and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. These collaborations focus on studying immune responses in pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer patients, including the impact of local treatments like radiofrequency ablation. The goal is to understand how such treatments influence both tumor and systemic immunity and to develop combination therapeutic strategies, including immunotherapies, to enhance patient outcomes.
Dr. Bailey-Lundberg has served as a member on numerous NIH and Department of Defense study sections and has received continuous research funding from nonprofit organizations, including PanCAN and the National Pancreas Foundation, as well as from the NIH and Department of Defense, since establishing her lab in 2014.
Dr. Bailey-Lundberg earned a B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2002, a master’s in biochemistry from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2004, and a PhD in cancer research from UNMC in 2009. She completed postdoctoral training in genetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 2014. That same year, she founded her independent research laboratory at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. She joined UNMC in 2024.
- BS: Biochemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2002
- MA: Biochemistry (with highest distinction), University of Nebraska at Omaha, 2004
- PhD: Cancer research, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 2009
- Postdoctoral Fellowship: McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 2014
Dr. Bailey-Lundberg’s research is centered on the intersection of cancer biology, immunology, and cellular plasticity, with a particular emphasis on epithelial cell interactions with the innate and adaptive immune systems. Her lab is focused on investigating local ablation strategies to enhance anti-tumor responses through immunotherapy. Additionally, Dr. Bailey-Lundberg’s work explores the pathogenesis and immune responses associated with acute and chronic pancreatic inflammation, specifically examining how Kras and Trp53 mutations in exocrine pancreatic cells influence epithelial plasticity and the neoplastic microenvironment in mouse models.
- Investigating immune checkpoint regulation in the context of pancreatic cancer progression
- Developing and testing combinatory strategies of ablation therapies with immune-modulating agents
- Exploring the role of cellular plasticity in pancreatic cancer initiation and in adapting pancreatic tumors to therapy
- Targeting therapeutic resistance using single cell RNA-sequencing
- Identifying immunoprevention strategies for pancreatic cancer
- Mouse models of pancreatic cancer
- Flow cytometry and immune profiling
- Spatial Immune Profiling, including Imaging Mass Cytometry
- Single-cell RNA sequencing
- Tumor ablation models and imaging techniques
- Immunohistochemistry
- RNAScope
- American Association for Cancer Research
- American Gastroenterological Association
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- American Pancreatic Association
- American Gastroenterological Association Institute Research Awards Panel
- Lustgarten Foundation-AACR Pancreatic Cancer Research Grants Scientific Review Committee
- Scientific reviewer, National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense
- Member, Targets, Modulators, and Delivery Program, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center