Hans D. Ochs
graduated from the
University of Freiburg, Germany with a degree and
Doctorate in Medicine. He was a resident in Pediatrics at
Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children in
Honolulu, at the
University of Tübingen, Germany and at the
University of Washington,
Seattle. He received
post-graduate training in
Biochemistry at the University of Tübingen and in clinical Immunology at the University of Washington. He is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, the American Board of Allergy and Immunology and the German Pediatric Board. Ochs' research focuses on the molecular basis of
primary immunodeficiency diseases with special interest in the genes that have been linked to the
Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome,
Hyper IgM syndrome,
X-linked agammaglobulinemia,
IPEX syndrome and autosomal dominante
Hyper IgE syndrome. To improve the long-term outcome of these disorders, he has actively participated in clinical trials to develop strategies of immunoglobulin replacement therapies, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and gene therapy. Ochs' clinical interests focus on the use of intravenous and subcutaneous
immunoglobulin in patients with antibody deficiencies and the in vivo analysis of antibody production using
bacteriophage Phi X 174. He and his collaborators contributed to the identification of several genes associated with primary immunodeficiency diseases located on the
X chromosome, including
CD40L,
Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein,
Bruton's tyrosine kinase, and
FOXP3. Recently, he focused on the gene
Uracil-DNA glycosylase, causing a rare form of autosomal recessive Hyper IgM syndrome, and on
STAT3, the gene causing autosomal dominant Hyper IgE syndrome if mutated. In 1995, he moved the immunodeficiency clinic from the University to
Seattle Children's Hospital, providing diagnostic evaluations and clinical care for both pediatric and adult patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases. He initiated and maintained a successful cooperation with the
bone marrow transplant unit of the
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center since the early 70s and participated in the design of protocols related to
stem cell transplantation for patients with
SCID, Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome,
chronic granulomatous disease, and
X-linked hyper-immunoglobulin M syndrome. The Ochs / Torgerson Lab focuses on: •
Autoimmunity and
immune dysregulation •
Regulatory T cells and
mutations of FOXP3 • The molecular consequences of
heterozygous dominant negative
STAT3 mutations and their relationship to autosomal-dominant Hyper IgE syndrome ==Memberships==