Ryan Alan Wilcox, MD, PhD

The T-cell lymphomas are a heterogeneous and poorly understood group of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. The most common T-cell lymphoma in the United States includes a heterogeneous mix of lymphomas that lack distinguishing characteristics and, until recently, remained clinically and molecularly “unspecified”. Improved understanding of T-cell lymphoma pathogenesis and the development of novel therapeutic strategies will be needed to address this challenge and improve outcomes for patients afflicted with these aggressive lymphomas. My group made the landmark discovery that the most common T-cell lymphoma in North America is comprised of two molecularly and clinically distinct subsets. This finding has significant implications for the classification and treatment of these lymphomas. We have also demonstrated that malignant T cells remain dependent upon antigen-presenting cells within the tumor microenvironment and are developing novel therapeutic strategies targeting these cells. Many fundamental questions, including the “cell of origin”, the role of antigen-, costimulatory-, and cytokine-receptor signaling, and the contribution of myeloid-derived antigen-presenting cells in disease pathogenesis remain obscure. My laboratory uses complementary mouse models and primary T-cell lymphoma specimens (in ex vivo and patient-derived xenograft studies) to address these fundamental and clinically relevant questions. We are poised to clinically translate our laboratory-based findings into novel therapeutic strategies that we hope will improve outcomes for patients afflicted with these aggressive lymphomas. I enjoy working with a multidisciplinary team of enthusiastic collaborators who share this common goal.

My clinical interests include the care and management of patients with a variety of lymphoproliferative disorders, particularly peripheral and cutaneous T-cell lymphomas.

University of Michigan Health participates with most health insurance plans.

The T-cell lymphomas are a heterogeneous and poorly understood group of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. The most common T-cell lymphoma in the United States includes a heterogeneous mix of lymphomas that lack distinguishing characteristics and, until recently, remained clinically and molecularly “unspecified”. Improved understanding of T-cell lymphoma pathogenesis and the development of novel therapeutic strategies will be needed to address this challenge and improve outcomes for patients afflicted with these aggressive lymphomas. My group made the landmark discovery that the most common T-cell lymphoma in North America is comprised of two molecularly and clinically distinct subsets. This finding has significant implications for the classification and treatment of these lymphomas. We have also demonstrated that malignant T cells remain dependent upon antigen-presenting cells within the tumor microenvironment and are developing novel therapeutic strategies targeting these cells. Many fundamental questions, including the “cell of origin”, the role of antigen-, costimulatory-, and cytokine-receptor signaling, and the contribution of myeloid-derived antigen-presenting cells in disease pathogenesis remain obscure. My laboratory uses complementary mouse models and primary T-cell lymphoma specimens (in ex vivo and patient-derived xenograft studies) to address these fundamental and clinically relevant questions. We are poised to clinically translate our laboratory-based findings into novel therapeutic strategies that we hope will improve outcomes for patients afflicted with these aggressive lymphomas. I enjoy working with a multidisciplinary team of enthusiastic collaborators who share this common goal.