Education

Ph.D in Immunology (summa cum laude), Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 1984

Current position

Chief, Section of Immunoregulation, Laboratory of Immunology, Bethesda, MD
Deputy Chief, Laboratory of Immunology, NEIB, Bethesda, MD
Adjunct Professor, Department of Pathology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
NEI Flow Cytometry Core Supervisor, Laboratory of Immunology, NEI, Bethesda, MD

Publications

1. Silver, P. B., Horai, R., Chen, J., Jittayasothorn, Y., Chan, C. C., Villasmil, R., Kesen, M. R. and Caspi, R. R. (2015). Retina-specific T regulatory cells bring about resolution and maintain remission of autoimmune uveitis. J Immunol 194(7): 3011-3019.

2. Chong, W. P., van Panhuys, N., Chen, J., Silver, P. B., Jittayasothorn, Y., Mattapallil, M. J., Germain, R. N. and Caspi, R. R. (2015). NK-DC crosstalk controls the autopathogenic Th17 response through an innate IFN-gamma-IL-27 axis. J Exp Med 212(10): 1739-1752.

3. Horai, R., Zarate-Blades, C. R., Dillenburg-Pilla, P., Chen, J., Kielczewski, J. L., Silver, P. B., Jittayasothorn, Y., Chan, C. C., Yamane, H., Honda, K. and Caspi, R. R. (2015). Microbiota-Dependent Activation of an Autoreactive T Cell Receptor Provokes Autoimmunity in an Immunologically Privileged Site. Immunity 43(2): 343-353.

4. Horai, R., Silver, P. B., Chen, J., Agarwal, R. K., Chong, W. P., Jittayasothorn, Y., Mattapallil, M. J., Nguyen, S., Natarajan, K., Villasmil, R., Wang, P., Karabekian, Z., Lytton, S. D., Chan, C. C. and Caspi, R. R. (2013). Breakdown of immune privilege and spontaneous autoimmunity in mice expressing a transgenic T cell receptor specific for a retinal autoantigen. J Autoimmun 44: 21-33.

5. Zhou, R., Horai, R., Silver, P. B., Mattapallil, M. J., Zarate-Blades, C. R., Chong, W. P., Chen, J., Rigden, R. C., Villasmil, R. and Caspi, R. R. (2012). The living eye "disarms" uncommitted autoreactive T cells by converting them to Foxp3(+) regulatory cells following local antigen recognition. J Immunol 188(4): 1742-1750.

6. Zhou, R., Horai, R., Mattapallil, M. J. and Caspi, R. R. (2011). A new look at immune privilege of the eye: dual role for the vision-related molecule retinoic acid. J Immunol 187(8): 4170-4177.

7. Luger, D., Silver, P. B., Tang, J., Cua, D., Chen, Z., Iwakura, Y., Bowman, E. P., Sgambellone, N. M., Chan, C. C. and Caspi, R. R. (2008). Either a Th17 or a Th1 effector response can drive autoimmunity: conditions of disease induction affect dominant effector category. J Exp Med 205(4): 799-810.

8. Tang, J., Zhu, W., Silver, P. B., Su, S. B., Chan, C. C. and Caspi, R. R. (2007). Autoimmune uveitis elicited with antigen-pulsed dendritic cells has a distinct clinical signature and is driven by unique effector mechanisms: initial encounter with autoantigen defines disease phenotype. J Immunol 178(9): 5578-5587.

9. Silver, P. B., Agarwal, R. K., Su, S. B., Suffia, I., Grajewski, R. S., Luger, D., Chan, C. C., Mahdi, R. M., Nickerson, J. M. and Caspi, R. R. (2007). Hydrodynamic vaccination with DNA encoding an immunologically privileged retinal antigen protects from autoimmunity through induction of regulatory T cells. J Immunol 179(8): 5146-5158.

10. Grajewski, R. S., Silver, P. B., Agarwal, R. K., Su, S. B., Chan, C. C., Liou, G. I. and Caspi, R. R. (2006). Endogenous IRBP can be dispensable for generation of natural CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells that protect from IRBP-induced retinal autoimmunity. J Exp Med 203(4): 851-856.

11. Pennesi, G., Mattapallil, M. J., Sun, S. H., Avichezer, D., Silver, P. B., Karabekian, Z., David, C. S., Hargrave, P. A., McDowell, J. H., Smith, W. C., Wiggert, B., Donoso, L. A., Chan, C. C. and Caspi, R. R. (2003). A humanized model of experimental autoimmune uveitis in HLA class II transgenic mice. J Clin Invest 111(8): 1171-1180.

12. Avichezer, D., Grajewski, R. S., Chan, C. C., Mattapallil, M. J., Silver, P. B., Raber, J. A., Liou, G. I., Wiggert, B., Lewis, G. M., Donoso, L. A. and Caspi, R. R. (2003). An immunologically privileged retinal antigen elicits tolerance: major role for central selection mechanisms. J Exp Med 198(11): 1665-1676.

13. Agarwal, R. K., Kang, Y., Zambidis, E., Scott, D. W., Chan, C. C. and Caspi, R. R. (2000). Retroviral gene therapy with an immunoglobulin-antigen fusion construct protects from experimental autoimmune uveitis. J Clin Invest 106(2): 245-252.

14. Xu, H., Wawrousek, E. F., Redmond, T. M., Nickerson, J. M., Wiggert, B., Chan, C. C. and Caspi, R. R. (2000). Transgenic expression of an immunologically privileged retinal antigen extraocularly enhances self tolerance and abrogates susceptibility to autoimmune uveitis. Eur J Immunol 30(1): 272-278.

15. Tarrant, T. K., Silver, P. B., Wahlsten, J. L., Rizzo, L. V., Chan, C. C., Wiggert, B. and Caspi, R. R. (1999). Interleukin 12 protects from a T helper type 1-mediated autoimmune disease, experimental autoimmune uveitis, through a mechanism involving interferon gamma, nitric oxide, and apoptosis. J Exp Med 189(2): 219-230.

16. Jones, L. S., Rizzo, L. V., Agarwal, R. K., Tarrant, T. K., Chan, C. C., Wiggert, B. and Caspi, R. R. (1997). IFN-gamma-deficient mice develop experimental autoimmune uveitis in the context of a deviant effector response. J Immunol 158(12): 5997-6005.

17. Rizzo, L. V., Miller-Rivero, N. E., Chan, C. C., Wiggert, B., Nussenblatt, R. B. and Caspi, R. R. (1994). Interleukin-2 treatment potentiates induction of oral tolerance in a murine model of autoimmunity. J Clin Invest 94(4): 1668-1672.

18. Caspi, R. R., Roberge, F. G., Chan, C. C., Wiggert, B., Chader, G. J., Rozenszajn, L. A., Lando, Z. and Nussenblatt, R. B. (1988). A new model of autoimmune disease. Experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis induced in mice with two different retinal antigens. J Immunol 140(5): 1490-1495.

19. Caspi, R. R., Roberge, F. G. and Nussenblatt, R. B. (1987). Organ-resident, nonlymphoid cells suppress proliferation of autoimmune T-helper lymphocytes. Science 237(4818): 1029-1032.