Robert D. Rupert
· Professor • ChairUniversity of Colorado Boulder · Philosophy
Active 1983–2024
About
Robert D. Rupert is a Professor and Chair in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Colorado Boulder. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1996. His research focuses on the philosophy of mind, the philosophical foundations of cognitive science, and related areas such as philosophy of science, metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of language. Rupert's work particularly emphasizes mental representation, concept acquisition, mental causation, cognitive architecture, situated cognition, group cognition, natural laws, and properties. He has been recognized with several awards, including a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for College Teachers, an NEH summer research stipend, a CU Provost's Faculty Achievement Award, and a Kayden Book award. Rupert is a fellow of the Institute of Cognitive Science at CU-Boulder and serves on CU-Boulder's Committee for the History and Philosophy of Science. He has held visiting research positions at the University of Edinburgh, the Australian National University, and the Ruhr-Universität Bochum. Additionally, he is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the British Journal for the Philosophy of Science.
Research topics
- Medicine
- Internal medicine
- Oncology
- Pharmacology
- Dermatology
- Pathology
- Cancer research
Selected publications
JCI Insight · 2024-11-07 · 5 citations
articleOpen accessBACKGROUNDInhibition of Bruton's tyrosine kinase with ibrutinib blocks the function of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC). The combination of ibrutinib and nivolumab was tested in patients with metastatic solid tumors.METHODSSixteen patients received ibrutinib 420 mg p.o. daily with nivolumab 240 mg i.v. on days 1 and 15 of a 28-day cycle. The effect of ibrutinib and nivolumab on MDSC, the immune profile, and cytokine levels were measured. Single-cell RNA-Seq and T cell receptor sequencing of immune cells was performed.RESULTSCommon adverse events were fatigue and anorexia. Four patients had partial responses and 4 had stable disease at 3 months (average 6.5 months, range 3.5-14.6). Median overall survival (OS) was 10.8 months. Seven days of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibition significantly increased the proportion of monocytic-MDSC (M-MDSC) and significantly decreased chemokines associated with MDSC recruitment and accumulation (CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, CCL13). Single-cell RNA-Seq revealed ibrutinib-induced downregulation of genes associated with MDSC-suppressive function (TIMP1, CXCL8, VEGFA, HIF1A), reduced MDSC interactions with exhausted CD8+ T cells, and decreased TCR repertoire diversity. The addition of nivolumab significantly increased circulating NK and CD8+ T cells and increased CD8+ T cell proliferation. Exploratory analyses suggest that MDSC and T cell gene expression and TCR repertoire diversity were differentially affected by BTK inhibition according to patient response.CONCLUSIONIbrutinib and nivolumab were well tolerated and affected MDSC and T cell function in patients with solid metastatic tumors.TRIAL REGISTRATIONClinicalTrials.gov NCT03525925.FUNDINGNIH; National Cancer Institute Cancer; National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; Pelotonia.
A Systems-Based View of Cognition
2023-04-17
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingWhat Is Mental Representation?
2023-04-17
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingThe Personal and Subpersonal Levels: Cognitive Science and the Philosophy of Mind
2023-04-17
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingA Causal-Developmental Theory of Representational Content
2023-04-17
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingThe Massively Representational Mind
2023-04-17
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingExtended Cognition and the Boundaries of the Mind
2023-04-17 · 1 citations
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingEmbodied Cognition and Its Discontents
2023-04-17
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingSelf-Knowledge in the Flattened Mind
2023-04-17
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingWebsites for Cognitive Linguistics and CIFCL Speakers
2023-04-17
book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
Frequent coauthors
- 7 shared
Aashish D. Bhatt
East Carolina University
- 6 shared
Amit Agrawal
Karmaveer Bhausaheb Hiray Dental College and Hospital
- 6 shared
Erin Healy
University of California, Irvine Medical Center
- 6 shared
Enver Özer
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute
- 5 shared
V.M. Diavolitsis
- 5 shared
Robert Wesolowski
- 5 shared
Anne M. Noonan
- 4 shared
P. Savvides
Mayo Clinic in Florida
Labs
Colorado Philosophy Media LabPI
Education
- 1996
Ph.D., Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Cognitive Science, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Science, Epistemology
Illinois-Chicago
Awards & honors
- National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for College…
- NEH summer research stipend
- CU Provost's Faculty Achievement Award
- Kayden Book award
- Fellow of the Institute of Cognitive Science at CU-Boulder
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