Adam Courtney, PhD

 headshot of Adam Courtney
Assistant Professor of Pharmacology
Medical School
University of Michigan Medical School
Pharmacology
1150 W. Medical Center Dr. MSRB3 2220E
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
[email protected]
Available to mentor
Adam Courtney, PhD
headshot of Adam Courtney
Assistant Professor
  • Qualifications
  • Center Memberships
  • Research Overview
  • Links
  • Recent Publications

  • Manage Your Profile

    • Qualifications
    • Cancer Research Institute (CRI) Fellow
      University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
      2012 - 2018
      Postdoctoral Research
    • PhD, Biochemistry
      University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, United States
      2004 - 2011
    • BS, Biochemistry
      University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
      2009 - 2004

    Center Memberships
    • Center Member
      Rogel Cancer Center

    Research Overview

    My research group at the University of Michigan seeks to evaluate how modulation of T cell signaling pathways can alter an immune response to cancer. My research group investigates the specialized signaling pathways found in T cells. Because these signaling pathways coordinate T cell function, in principle, we should be able to manipulate them to better harness T cells as therapeutic entities for the treatment of disease.

    Links
    • Courtney Lab

    Recent Publications

     See All Publications
    • Journal Article
      Characterization of a Cytokine-Independent STAT5 Activator.
      Aleck GA, Jin Y, Gu Z, Courtney AH. Biomedicines, 2026 May 13; 14 (5): DOI:10.3390/biomedicines14051097
      PMID: PMC13204663
    • Journal Article
      Immunocompetent Murine Models Recapitulate the Heterogeneous Tumor-Immune Microenvironment of Human Liposarcoma
      Shafer AM, Kenna E, Golden LAF, Elhossiny AM, Perry KD, Wilkowski J, Yan W, Kaczkofsky B, McGue J, Bresler SC, Courtney AH, Dalman JM, Galbán CJ, Jiang W, Espinoza CE, Chugh R, Iyer MK, Frankel TL, Magliano MPD, Dlugosz AA, Angeles CV. Clinical Cancer Research, 2025 Dec 1; 31 (23): 5078 - 5095. DOI:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-25-1628
      PMID: 40928975
    • Journal Article
      Liver Metastases License Neutrophils through IL1 to Potentiate Cancer Progression
      Pearson AN, Waninger J, Huber AK, Holcomb EA, James JG, Kyi J, Elaimy AL, Wang Z, Lasse-Opsahl EL, SenGupta S, Elliott DA, Choi E, Zhang Q, Morgan MA, Chang DT, Lawrence TS, Courtney A, Shah YM, Knight JS, Di Magliano MP, Yoo S, Crivelli S, Parent CA, Ramnath N, Bryant AK, Zou W, Green MD. Cancer Immunology Research, 2025 Dec 1; 13 (12): 2023 - 2036. DOI:10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-24-1074
      PMID: 40906822
    • Proceeding / Abstract / Poster
      A STAT5 activator drives a CD8+ memory T cell fate in the absence of cytokine 4012
      Chanda MK, Aleck GA, Williams RG, Sutton DJ, Armas N, Correa LO, di Magliano MP, Lyssiotis C, Carty SA, Courtney AH. The Journal of Immunology, 2025 Nov 21; 214 (Supplement_1): DOI:10.1093/jimmun/vkaf283.1747
    • Proceeding / Abstract / Poster
      An engineered viral peptide activates STAT proteins to promote CD8+ T cell functionality in the absence of IL-2 4041
      Gu Z, Castaneda N, Shudde CE, Wang X, Zheng Y, Courtney AH. The Journal of Immunology, 2025 Nov 21; 214 (Supplement_1): DOI:10.1093/jimmun/vkaf283.1773
    • Proceeding / Abstract / Poster
      An engineered viral protein rewires signaling pathways to activate STAT5 and sustain T cell functionality in tumors 4715
      Courtney AH, Zheng Y, Shudde CE, Wang X, Aleck GA, Zhou J, Zou W. The Journal of Immunology, 2025 Nov 23; 214 (Supplement_1): DOI:10.1093/jimmun/vkaf283.2352
    • Journal Article
      An engineered viral protein activates STAT5 to prevent T cell suppression.
      Zheng Y, Gu Z, Shudde CE, Piper TL, Wang X, Aleck GA, Zhou J, King D, Chanda MK, Trinch L, Zou W, Courtney AH. Sci Immunol, 2025 May 23; 10 (107): eadn9633 DOI:10.1126/sciimmunol.adn9633
      PMID: PMC12863462
    • Preprint
      An immunocompetent mouse model of liposarcoma.
      Shafer AM, Kenna E, Golden L-AF, Elhossiny AM, Perry KD, Wilkowski J, Yan W, Kaczkofsky B, McGue J, Bresler SC, Courtney AH, Dalman JM, Galban CJ, Jiang W, Espinoza CE, Chugh R, Iyer MK, Frankel TL, di Magliano MP, Dlugosz AA, Angeles CV. 2025 Feb 4; DOI:10.1101/2025.01.31.634916
      PMID: 40297505

    Featured News & Stories

         cancer cell drawing in blue ink on off white background with floating yellow dots two of them
    Health Lab

    Researchers engineer a herpes virus to turn on T cells for immunotherapy

    The University of Michigan team identified herpesvirus saimiri, which infects the T cells of squirrel monkeys, as a source of proteins that activate pathways in T cells that are needed to promote T cell survival.