Thomas S. McCormick, PhD
Thomas S. McCormick, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Biography
Thomas S. McCormick, Ph.D., joined Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in 1997. Dr. McCormick’s training began at Ohio University where received his M.S/Ph.D. in Molecular/Cellular Biology. He was then accepted into the post-doctoral program at Case Western Reserve University in Hematology/Oncology.Dr. McCormick is the Director for Basic Science Research and Associate Director of Skin Diseases Research Center (SDRC) at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. He is an internationally recognized expert in the immuno-pathogenesis of psoriasis.
Dr. McCormick was the inaugural recipient of the Eugene Farber Award from the Society for Investigative Dermatology for excellence in research in psoriasis. He and his colleagues hold several patents including the photodynamic therapy compound phthalocyanine-4, currently in Phase I clinical trials for psoriasis. Dr. McCormick has published extensively on the immunology of psoriasis and several other cutaneous diseases and is the author of more than 70 primary peer-reviewed research articles, numerous review articles and textbook chapters.
His research and training has been supported by grants from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and the National Cancer Institute. Dr. McCormick is a member the American Association of Immunologists and the Society for Investigative Dermatology.
Research Interests
- Immunological basis of psoriasis
- Dermatology
- Immunology
- Autoimmune disease
- Skin cancer
Research Projects
Dr. McCormick’s current research focuses on cutaneous immune regulation and innate immunity. His laboratory group addresses the mechanisms of immune regulation in psoriasis. Understanding the function and control of regulatory cells (T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells) in psoriatic and non-psoriatic individuals will provide knowledge important to preventing or modifying autoimmune responses. Dr. McCormick has identified several candidate genes specific to regulatory T cells in both normal and psoriatic patients. Isolating and characterizing these regulatory T cell response elements is one current focus of research for his laboratory.
Dr. McCormick’s second avenue of research is the innate immune response of epithelial cells. Dr. McCormick and his colleagues in the School of Dental Medicine and the Case Proteomics Center are applying comparative proteomics between immune-competent and immuno-compromised mucosae to address the innate immune response to bacterial and viral challenges.