Jacqueline Mays, D.D.S., M.H.Sc., Ph.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar

Oral Immunobiology Unit

NIDCR

NIH NIDCR
Building 30 Room 301
30 Convent Dr MSC 4340
Bethesda MD 20892-4326

301-496-8800

jacqueline.mays@nih.gov

Research Topics

Dr. Mays leads a clinical and translational research unit that investigates oral mucosal immunity, by using chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) as a model for study. cGVHD is an autoimmune-like condition that manifests after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Symptoms include salivary gland dysfunction, oral lesions, and limited mouth-opening from perioral fibrosis. The underlying immunologic events that target the oral cavity and the mechanisms that drive the pathogenic process, particularly in salivary glands, are not well-understood. Consequently, targeted therapeutics are limited. Dr. Mays’ research program aims to elucidate the underlying immune process of cGVHD in the oral cavity (with a focus on the salivary glands), and then translate that knowledge into improved monitoring and therapeutics for people with cGVHD.

Biography

Dr. Jacqueline W. Mays received a B.S. in biology and chemistry from Valparaiso University, Ind., and a Ph.D. in oral biology and a D.D.S. from the College of Dentistry, The Ohio State University. Dr. Mays was awarded a Master of Health Sciences in Clinical Research from the College of Medicine at Duke University. Dr. Mays performed post-doctoral work at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) on influenza viral protein expression and the anti-viral mucosal immune response, and subsequently completed a Clinical Research Fellowship at NIDCR focused on chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease (cGVHD) in the oral cavity. Dr. May was appointed chief of the Oral Immunobiology Unit at NIDCR in 2015. Dr. Mays’ laboratory is focused on translational investigation of cGVHD pathobiology and the development of new therapies for the oral cavity.

Selected Publications

  1. Costa-da-Silva AC, Aure MH, Dodge J, Martin D, Dhamala S, Cho M, Rose JJ, Bassim CW, Ambatipudi K, Hakim FT, Pavletic SZ, Mays JW. Salivary ZG16B expression loss follows exocrine gland dysfunction related to oral chronic graft-versus-host disease. iScience. 2022;25(1):103592.
  2. Dodge JT, Doyle AD, Costa-da-Silva AC, Hogden CT, Mezey E, Mays JW. Atto 465 Derivative Is a Nuclear Stain with Unique Excitation and Emission Spectra Useful for Multiplex Immunofluorescence Histochemistry. J Histochem Cytochem. 2022;70(3):211-223.
  3. Mays JW, Carey BP, Posey R, Gueiros LA, France K, Setterfield J, Woo SB, Sollecito TP, Culton D, Payne AS, Greenberg MS, De Rossi S. World Workshop of Oral Medicine VII: A systematic review of immunobiologic therapy for oral manifestations of pemphigoid and pemphigus. Oral Dis. 2019;25 Suppl 1:111-121.
  4. Curtis LM, Ostojic A, Venzon DJ, Holtzman NG, Pirsl F, Kuzmina ZJ, Baird K, Rose JJ, Cowen EW, Mays JW, Mitchell SA, Parsons-Wandell L, Joe GO, Comis LE, Berger A, Pusic I, Peer CJ, Figg WD, Cao L, Gale RP, Hakim FT, Pavletic SZ. A randomized phase 2 trial of pomalidomide in subjects failing prior therapy for chronic graft-versus-host disease. Blood. 2021;137(7):896-907.
  5. Hakim FT, Memon S, Jin P, Imanguli MM, Wang H, Rehman N, Yan XY, Rose J, Mays JW, Dhamala S, Kapoor V, Telford W, Dickinson J, Davis S, Halverson D, Naik HB, Baird K, Fowler D, Stroncek D, Cowen EW, Pavletic SZ, Gress RE. Upregulation of IFN-Inducible and Damage-Response Pathways in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease. J Immunol. 2016;197(9):3490-3503.

Related Scientific Focus Areas

This page was last updated on Thursday, November 9, 2023