2005 Lupus Research Institute, Novel Research Grant recipient
2005 Invited speaker 9th Langerhans Cell Congress, Funchal, Portugal
2005 Yale Skin Disease Research Center Pilot Project Grant recipient
2004 Discussion Panelist Summer AAD Live Patient Viewing
2004 Dermatology Foundation Research Grant recipient
2004 Dermatology Foundation Career Development Award recipient
2004 NIH Career Development Award recipient
2003 SID travel award to International Investigative Dermatology, Miami, FL.
1996 Life and Health Insurance Medical Research MD/PhD scholarship
Undergraduate: Magna cum laude, Citation of Merit in Statistical Thermodynamics.

Professional Societies

Society for Investigative Dermatology, 2004-present
The American Academy of Dermatology, 2002-present

Research Interests
My primary research focus has been on the precise role that dendritic cells (DC) play in the initiation and regulation of immune responses. Epidermal Langerhans cells (LC) are a distinct skin resident DC population. These cells are unique in their ability acquire antigen in the epidermis of the skin and migrate to draining lymph nodes where they are thought to initiate adaptive immune responses. Although many functions have been ascribed to LCs, analysis of their actions in vivo has been hampered by the absence of mice that specifically lack these cells. To do this we undertook the generation of mice with a selective absence of LCs. We have generated BAC transgenic mice in which the regulatory elements from human Langerin were used to drive expression of diphtheria toxin A subunit. Surprisingly, instead of the diminished skin immune response which was anticipated, we find that responses to multiple challenges were increased by approximately two fold in the absence of LCs. Thus, we believe that LCs serve to regulate the response, a previously unappreciated function. These newly generated mice open many exciting areas of potential research. At present, we are actively investing the mechanisms through which LCs are able to modulate immune responses. We are also breeding LC deficient mice to various murine models of disease to examine how LCs participate in the development of skin disease and extending our approach to other dendritic cell subsets.

Kaplan DH, Anderson BE, McNiff JM, Jain D, Shlomchik MJ, Shlomchik WD, Target Antigens Determine Graft-versus-host Disease Phenotype., Journal of Immunology (baltimore, Md. : 1950), 173(9), 5467-75, Nov 2004

Kaplan DH, Anderson BE, Shlomchik WD, Shlomchik MJ, 2004 “Tissues affected by graft-versus-host disease vary with MHC haplotype in MHC-matched, MiHA-incompatable murine models”. J Immunol 173:5467-5475.

Kaplan DH, Holiday Hazards: Common Stings From New World Visits., Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 28(1), 85-8, Jan 2003

Kaplan DH, Shankaran V, Dighe AS, Stockert E, Aguet M, Old LJ, Schreiber RD, Demonstration of An Interferon Gamma-dependent Tumor Surveillance System in Immunocompetent Mice., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America., 95(13), 7556-61, Jun 1998

Meraz MA, White JM, Sheehan KC, Bach EA, Rodig SJ, Dighe AS, Kaplan DH, Riley JK, Greenlund AC, Campbell D, Carver-Moore K, DuBois RN, Clark R, Aguet M, Schreiber RD, Targeted Disruption of the Stat1 Gene in Mice Reveals Unexpected Physiologic Specificity in the JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway., Cell, 84(3), 431-42, Feb 1996

Kaplan DH, Greenlund AC, Tanner JW, Shaw AS, Schreiber RD, Identification of An Interferon-gamma Receptor Alpha Chain Sequence Required for JAK-1 Binding., The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 271(1), 9-12, Jan 1996

Kaplan DH, Shankaran V, Dighe AS, Old LJ, Schreiber RD.1998. "Demonstration of an IFN gamma Tumor Surveillance Mechanism in Immunocompetent Hosts." PNAS 95(13):7556-61.

Kaplan DH, Greenlund AC, Tanner,JS, Shaw AS, Screiber RD 1996. "Identification of an IFN gamma receptor-chain sequence required for Jak1 binding." J Biol Chem. 271(1):9-12.

Meraz MA, White JM, Sheehan KCF, Bach EA, Rodig SJ, Dighe AS, Kaplan DH, Riley JK, Greenlund AC. Greenlund D, Campbell K, Carver-Moore RN, DuBois R, Clark M, Agues M, and Schreiber RD. 1995. "Targeted disruption of the STAT1 gene in mice reveals unexpected physiologic specificity in the Jak-STAT signaling pathway." Cell. 84(3):431-42.

Nonexperimental Articles

Kaplan DH, 2003. "Holiday Hazards: Common Stings from New World Visits.” Clin Exp Dermatol. 28(1):85-8.

Books

Kaplan DH. Schreiber RD, 1999. "The Interferons: Biochemistry And Biology." The Cytokine Network and Immune Functions, Jacques Théze, ed. Oxford University Press.

Bach EA, Kaplan DH, Schreiber RD. 1999. “Biochemistry, Mechanism of Action, and Biology of the Interferons.” Infllammation, John Gallin and Ralph Snyderman eds. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Selected Abstracts / Presentations

Kaplan DH, Jenison MC, Shlomchik WD, Shlomchik MJ. “Epidermal Langerhans Cell Deficient Mice Develop Enhanced Contact Hypersensitivity.” 2nd International Conference on Dendritic Cells at the Host-Pathogen Interface, Warrington VA, 2005, Poster presentation.

Kaplan DH, Jenison MC, Shlomchik WD, Shlomchik MJ “Epidermal Langerhans Cell Deficient Mice Develop Enhanced Contact Hypersensitivity.” 9th Congress on Langerhans Cells, Funchal, Portugal, 2005, Invited Speaker.

Kaplan DH, Shlomchik WD, Shlomchik MJ.. “Development of a Novel Strategy to Generate Mice Lacking Dendritic Cells.” International Investigative Dermatology, Miami, FL., 2003. Poster presentation.

Kaplan DH, Anderson BE. Shlomchik WD, Shlomchik MJ. “Tissues affected by graft-versus-host disease vary with MHC haplotype in MHC-matched, MiHA-incompatable murine models”. Society for investigative Dermatology, Los Angeles, CA. 2002. Poster presentation.