Tania Watts

Dr. Watts is not currently accepting new trainees.

Our lab has three broad areas of research:

1. Investigating immune responses to viruses and vaccines: We investigate virus and vaccine induce immunity in human populations to assess population level immunity and to evaluate how treatment of patients with autoimmune diseases or cancer affects their pre-existing immunity and their response to new vaccines. We have studies ongoing on immune responses to influenza, measles, varicella and SARS-CoV-2. Representative references: (1-6)
2. Investigating the role of monocytes and TNFR superfamily members in control of viral infections and cancer.  T cells are primed on dendritic cells in the draining lymph node. This process involves signals through the antigen specific T cell receptor (signal 1), costimulation through CD28 (signal 2) as well as cytokines (signal 3). Once these signals are received the T cell begins proliferating, acquires effector functions and migrate to the site of infection or inflammation. During an infection, monocytes accumulate and respond to infection and local inflammatory signals by upregulating cytokines and TNF superfamily ligands. Our recent work shows that, during viral infection, monocytes rather than dendritic cells are the major source of TNF superfamily ligands. This provides signals for T cells to persist in the tissues to clear the infection and persist as memory T cells. We refer to this a signal 4 for T cell activation. Our current work is focused on using single cell approaches to acquire a detailed understanding of how the TNF superfamily ligands 4-1BBL and GITRL contribute to T cell persistence and control of influenza infection, as well as how TNFSF ligands on monocytes contribute to STING agonist therapy of cancer. Representative references:  (7-13).    
3. Role of TRAF1 in human disease. TRAF1 is a signaling adaptor involved in prosurvival signal transduction down stream of CD40, 4-1BB and a subset of other TNFR superfamily members. During the course of our research on TRAF1, we also found a new role for TRAF1 in limiting Toll like receptor signaling (14). 

TRAF1 is overexpressed in many B cell cancers, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL cells). We showed that TRAF1 requires phosphorylation on Serine 146 by the kinase PKN1 to prevent its degradation during CD40 signaling in the B cell cancer line RAJI.  Inhibition  of PKN1 in primary patient CLL cells results in loss of TRAF1 and death of the CLL cells (15). We are currently seeking partners/funds to develop more specific and selective inhibitors of PKN1 suitable for CLL therapy.

Our current research is funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the Arthritis Society.

References:

1. Shapiro, J. R., N. Simard, S. Bolotin, and T. H. Watts. 2025. Fluorescent Cell Barcoding of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells for High-Throughput Assessment of Vaccine-Induced T Cell Responses in Low-Volume Research Samples. Cytometry A 107: 321-332.
2. Shapiro, J. R., G. K. Shapiro, S. Gupta, S. Alexander, M. Science, T. H. Watts, and S. Bolotin. 2025. Attitudes Toward COVID-19 Vaccination Among Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patients and Their Caregivers. Pediatr Blood Cancer 72: e31696.
3. Cheung, M. W., S. Xu, J. R. Shapiro, F. Qi, M. Delgado-Brand, K. Colwill, R. M. Dayam, Y. Liu, J. D. Lee, J. M. Stempak, J. M. Rini, V. Chandran, M. S. Silverberg, A. C. Gingras, and T. H. Watts. 2025. Reduced vaccine-induced germinal center outputs in patients with inflammatory bowel disease treated with anti-TNF biologics. J. Clin. Invest. 135.
4. Cheung, M. W., R. M. Dayam, J. R. Shapiro, J. C. Law, G. Y. C. Chao, D. Pereira, R. L. Goetgebuer, D. Croitoru, J. M. Stempak, L. Acheampong, S. Rizwan, J. D. Lee, L. Jacob, D. Ganatra, R. Law, V. E. Rodriguez-Castellanos, M. Kern-Smith, M. Delgado-Brand, G. Mailhot, N. Haroon, R. D. Inman, V. Piguet, V. Chandran, M. S. Silverberg, T. H. Watts, and A. C. Gingras. 2023. Third and Fourth Vaccine Doses Broaden and Prolong Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in Adult Patients with Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases. J. Immunol. 211: 351-364.
5. Law, J. C., M. Girard, G. Y. C. Chao, L. A. Ward, B. Isho, B. Rathod, K. Colwill, Z. Li, J. M. Rini, F. Y. Yue, S. Mubareka, A. J. McGeer, M. A. Ostrowski, J. L. Gommerman, A. C. Gingras, and T. H. Watts. 2022. Persistence of T Cell and Antibody Responses to SARS-CoV-2 Up to 9 Months after Symptom Onset. J. Immunol. 208: 429-443.
6. Dayam, R. M., J. C. Law, R. L. Goetgebuer, G. Y. Chao, K. T. Abe, M. Sutton, N. Finkelstein, J. M. Stempak, D. Pereira, D. Croitoru, L. Acheampong, S. Rizwan, K. Rymaszewski, R. Milgrom, D. Ganatra, N. V. Batista, M. Girard, I. Lau, R. Law, M. W. Cheung, B. Rathod, J. Kitaygorodsky, R. Samson, Q. Hu, W. R. Hardy, N. Haroon, R. D. Inman, V. Piguet, V. Chandran, M. S. Silverberg, A. C. Gingras, and T. H. Watts. 2022. Accelerated waning of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. JCI Insight 7.
7. Watts, T. H., K. K. M. Yeung, T. Yu, S. Lee, and R. Eshraghisamani. 2025. TNF/TNFR Superfamily Members in Costimulation of T Cell Responses-Revisited. Ann. Rev. Immunol.
8. Girard, M., T. Yu, N. V. Batista, K. K. M. Yeung, S. Lamorte, W. Gao, M. Liu, T. L. McGaha, and T. H. Watts. 2025. STING agonists drive recruitment and intrinsic type I interferon responses in monocytic lineage cells for optimal anti-tumor immunity. J. Immunol. The Journal of Immunology, vkaf131, https://doi.org/10.1093/jimmun/vkaf131
9. Chu, K. L., N. V. Batista, M. Girard, and T. H. Watts. 2020. Monocyte-Derived Cells in Tissue-Resident Memory T Cell Formation. J. Immunol. 204: 477-485.
10. Zhou, A. C., N. V. Batista, and T. H. Watts. 2019. 4-1BB Regulates Effector CD8 T Cell Accumulation in the Lung Tissue through a TRAF1-, mTOR-, and Antigen-Dependent Mechanism to Enhance Tissue-Resident Memory T Cell Formation during Respiratory Influenza Infection. J. Immunol. 202: 2482-2492.
11. Chu, K. L., N. V. Batista, K. C. Wang, A. C. Zhou, and T. H. Watts. 2019. GITRL on inflammatory antigen presenting cells in the lung parenchyma provides signal 4 for T-cell accumulation and tissue-resident memory T-cell formation. Mucosal Immunol 12: 363-377.
12. Zhou, A. C., L. E. Wagar, M. E. Wortzman, and T. H. Watts. 2017. Intrinsic 4-1BB signals are indispensable for the establishment of an influenza-specific tissue-resident memory CD8 T-cell population in the lung. Mucosal Immunol 10: 1294-1309.
13. Chang, Y. H., K. C. Wang, K. L. Chu, D. L. Clouthier, A. T. Tran, M. S. Torres Perez, A. C. Zhou, A. A. Abdul-Sater, and T. H. Watts. 2017. Dichotomous Expression of TNF Superfamily Ligands on Antigen-Presenting Cells Controls Post-priming Anti-viral CD4(+) T Cell Immunity. Immunity 47: 943-958 e949.
14. Abdul-Sater, A. A., M. I. Edilova, D. L. Clouthier, A. Mbanwi, E. Kremmer, and T. H. Watts. 2017. The signaling adaptor TRAF1 negatively regulates Toll-like receptor signaling and this underlies its role in rheumatic disease. Nat. Immunol. 18: 26-35.
15. Edilova, M. I., J. C. Law, S. Zangiabadi, K. Ting, A. N. Mbanwi, A. Arruda, D. Uehling, M. Isaac, M. Prakesch, R. Al-Awar, M. D. Minden, A. A. Abdul-Sater, and T. H. Watts. 2021. The PKN1- TRAF1 signaling axis as a potential new target for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Oncoimmunology 10: 1943234.

Appointments

• Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in anti-viral immunity (2021-2028)
• Associate Chair, Post-Doctoral Program
• CIHR University delegate for the University of Toronto

Selected Honours and Awards

• Distinguished fellow of the American Association of Immunologists, class of 2022
• Gillian E. Wu Graduate Mentorship in Immunology Award, University of Toronto, 2022
• 2009-2019 Sanofi Pasteur Chair in Human Immunology (endowed chair)
• 2019 JJ Berry-Smith Doctoral Supervision Award (University of Toronto)
• 2018 Canadian Society for Immunology John D. Reynolds Award
• 2016 Canadian Society for Immunology Bernhard Cinader Award