Adam G. Schrum, PhD

Photo of Adam G. Schrum, PhD

Molecular Microbiology and Immunology

Surgery

Bioengineering

Dermatology

Director of Graduate Studies
Associate Professor of Bioengineering, MMI, Surgery
Adjunct Professor of Dermatology
NextGen Precision Health Investigator

Profile

The laboratory of Adam G. Schrum, PhD, is focused on physiologic signaling networks and how they function in molecular and cellular immunity. A main goal is to increase understanding of how T cells of the immune system decide whether to destroy or tolerate healthy, infected or cancerous tissue, with an eye toward applying lessons learned to design immunotherapies. Current projects focus on the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) and how its structure, multi-subunit composition and biochemical functions operate throughout the course of immune responses. Downstream of TCR triggering, many other proteins and pathways involved in T cell signaling cooperate to compose a network with emergent properties to determine immune fate. Using cellular, molecular, biochemical and proteomic techniques, the lab examines these processes in the context of T cell responses during development, infection, autoimmunity and cancer. The team recently published a multiplex microsphere-based approach to generate a new type of combinatorial network signature of signaling proteins, termed PiSCES. Using this system, signaling protein network profiles were generated from small skin biopsy samples donated by autoimmune or control patients. A unique signature of T cell biochemical activity was identified to be associated with autoimmune lesions, an observation that may lead to identification of new molecular targets for therapy. A podcast explaining the significance of the work was commissioned and produced by the publisher (AAAS) and is freely available.

NextGen Precision Health

Academic Information

Director of Graduate Studies
Associate Professor of Bioengineering, MMI, Surgery
Adjunct Professor of Dermatology
NextGen Precision Health Investigator

Office

1030 Hitt St
Room 2001 NextGen Precision Health Institute
Columbia, MO 65211
United States

Research Interests

  • Network protein complexes in signal transduction
  • T cell development, immunity and tolerance.

Areas of Expertise

  • Biochemistry
  • Bioengineering
  • Network biology
  • Immunology
  • Autoimmunity and tolerance
  • Cancer biology
  • Cell biology
  • Developmental biology
  • Immune response to pathogens
  • Signal transduction

Education & Training

Fellowship

2007, University of Basel, University - Hospital, Switzerland

Post-Graduate School

2002, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine

In the News

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acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell illustration

Publications

  • Neier SC, Ferrer A, Wilton KM, Smith SEP, Huseby Kelcher AM, Pavelko KD, Canfield JM, Davis TR, Stiles RJ, Chen Z, McCluskey JM, Burrows SR, Rossjohn J, Hebrink DM, Carmona EM, Limper AH, Kappes DJ, Wettstein PJ, Johnson AJ, Pease LR, Daniels MA, Neuhauser C, Gil D, Schrum AG. The early proximal αβ TCR signalosome specifies thymic selection outcome through a quantitative protein interaction network. Sci Immun. 2019 Feb 15;4(32). pii: eaal2201. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aal2201. PMID: 30770409
    http://immunology.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/4/32/eaal2201?ijkey=OSDKaVWAeu1bI&keytype=ref&siteid=immunology
  • Schrum AG, Neier SC, VanHook AM. Science Signaling Podcast for 2 August 2016: Patient specific protein complexes. Sci Signal. 2016 Aug 2;9(439):pc17. doi: 10.1126/scisignal.aah5912. PMID: 27485014
    http://stke.sciencemag.org/content/9/439/pc17.long
  • Smith SE, Neier SC, Reed BK, Davis TR, Sinnwell JP, Eckel-Passow JE, Sciallis GF, Wieland CN, Torgerson RR, Gil D, Neuhauser C, Schrum AG. Multiplex matrix network analysis of protein complexes in the human TCR signalosome. Sci Signal. 2016 Aug 2;9(439):rs7. doi: 10.1126/scisignal.aad7279. PMID: 27485017
    http://stke.sciencemag.org/content/9/439/rs7?ijkey=5bd184f9f4dc78c7035d8e3f3d83c8fe7645025a&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha
  • Gilhar A, Schrum AG, Etzioni A, Waldmann H, Paus R. Alopecia areata: Animal models illuminate autoimmune pathogenesis and novel immunotherapeutic strategies. Autoimmun Rev. 2016 Jul;15(7):726-35. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2016.03.008. Epub 2016 Mar 10. Review. PMID: 26971464
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1568997216300568?via%3Dihub
  • Hoffmann MM, Molina-Mendiola C, Nelson AD, Parks CA, Reyes EE, Hansen MJ, Rajagopalan G, Pease LR, Schrum AG, Gil D. Co-potentiation of antigen recognition: A novel mechanism to boost weak T cell responses and provide immunotherapy in vivo. Sci Adv. 2015 Oct 2;1(9):e1500415. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.1500415. eCollection 2015 Oct. PMID: 26601285
    http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/9/e1500415

View the complete list of PubMed publications.