Innate Immunity Defenses against Intracellular Pathogens
Dr. Allen's lab uses informatics, high-throughput sequencing, in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models to study the link between lipoproteins and inflammation in cardio-metabolic disease.
We study the pathogenesis of the Borrelia spirochetes that cause Lyme disease and relapsing fever.
My laboratory studies mechanisms of reovirus pathogenesis.
Our current research is focused on elucidation of the signaling pathways that drive myeloid cell-mediated immune suppression and on development of adjuvant treatments for DC vaccination against ovarian cancer.
Dr. Drew conducts research in the field of Neuroimmunology. Normally, immune activity in the brain is limited. However, in diseases including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and alcohol abuse activated immune cells are observed in the brain. These immune cells produce cytokines which may be toxic to brain cells as well as chemokines which direct cells to sites of inflammation, resulting in neuropathology. Dr. Drew’s research involves modern cellular and molecular biology techniques.
The Elasri laboratory focuses on global gene regulation in Staphylococcus aureus. S. aureus uses a complex network of regulators to modulate biofilm development, virulence, and antibiotic tolerance. We are studying how global regulators interact with various virulence genes to ensure survival of S. aureus in the host. We are particularly interested in the msaABCR operon and its role in S. aureus metabolic adaptation, antibiotic persistence, stress and host interaction. We are also targeting the global regulator MsaB protein to inhibit its activity by small molecules and potentially develop new therapeutic agents to address antibiotic resistance in staph infections.
Virology, cancer biology, immunology! Gammaherpesviruses are cancer-causing viruses that infect the majority of humans. We are working to define functions of viral proteins in infection and disease, identify host factors that block viral infection and prevent virus-driven cancers, and understand immune responses to chronic viral infections. Our major goal is to comprehend the complex relationship between gammaherpesviruses and their hosts. PLUS, we get to do cool science and figure out how stuff works!
Dr. Jackson-Litteken's research is focused on understanding mechanisms of Acinetobacter baumannii pathogenesis in novel infection models with a recent focus on ventilator-associated pneumonia.
The Jorgenson lab is focused on investigating the bacterial surface and finding new ways to exploit its properties.
Dr. Juvvadi’s research is primarily directed toward identifying genes that are indispensable for fungal growth, drug response, and virulence by utilizing various molecular strategies, including genetic, biochemical, and proteomic techniques and animal models of infection. His laboratory research has demonstrated the importance of calcineurin, a calcium-calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase, for fungal growth and virulence. The overall goal is to elucidate the calcineurin-dependent molecular mechanisms controlling fungal growth, pathogenesis, and drug resistance, utilizing whole proteomic and lipidomic approaches which will ultimately enable the identification of fungal-specific targets to help design potentially more effective strategies to combat IA.
Dr. Koss’s research interests are focused on understanding the fundamental mechanisms T cells utilize to adapt to environmental stress. His laboratory is currently developing and applying cutting-edge proteomic approaches to elucidate how proteome turnover dynamics influence the ability of a T cell to persist in solid tumors. To translate these findings, his laboratory seeks to establish new immune monitoring methodologies and engineer CAR T-cell therapies with superior persistence in the solid tumor environment.
Molecular pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus
Adaptive immunity to Chlamydia female reproductive tract infection.
The Liu lab studies host intrinsic innate signaling using poxvirus as probing tool. We also engineer poxviruses for immunotherapy of cancer such as ovarian cancer.
My laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms responsible for the generation and maintenance of intra-cellular membrane-bounded compartments. In all eukaryotic cells intracellular membrane trafficking is critical for a range of important cellular functions including protein secretion, post-translational modifications, cell signalling, cell polarization, and cell maintenance. Defects in membrane trafficking can underline, or even exacerbate, a number of human diseases including cancer, diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer’s, cystic fibrosis, Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome and Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation.
We are interested in studying primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), an aggressive B cell cancer caused by the Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus or human herpesvirus 8 (KSHV/HHV8). PEL tumor cells rely on the constitutive expression of virally encoded genes that globally reprogram host gene expression to create a conducive environment optimal for tumor cell proliferation and survival.
Cell-mediated immunity against human papillomavirus (HPV), HPV therapeutic vaccine development, cancer immunotherapy
Dr. Novak’s lab focuses on understanding the regeneration of the musculoskeletal system, with two main research areas: fracture healing and osteoarthritis. The overarching goals are to investigate the mechanisms by which immune cells regulate fracture healing and explore how cytokines and angiogenic factors contribute to osteoarthritis development.
My research focuses on using large biological datasets from “–omics” technologies to characterize the interaction between lifestyle choices (e.g., diet and physical activity) and physiology. Currently, I’m interested in how diet and physical activity alters the xeno-metabolome (“non-self” gut microbe-derived metabolites) and how these metabolites influence host energy regulation. The microbiome plays a significant role in early development and function of the gut and other organs, but the specific microbes and their signaling molecules involved with these processes are not fully identified. It is also clear that one’s own health status influences the gut microbiome, but mechanisms underlying this are not clear. Metabolomics is the primary resource used to identify candidate metabolites, and these can be used to test the bioactivity of these molecules. Another key area of interest is using multivariate analyses and data mining techniques in our analysis workflow. The R statistical language is our primary tool to implement these statistical techniques because of its flexibility and ability to create interactive visualizations.
Dr. Qin's research focuses on cancer oncology and microbiology. He has an active NIH/NCI research award titled Periodontal Bacteria Enhance Oral KSHV Pathogenesis and Kaposi's Sarcoma Development in HIV+ Patients.
Bacteriology, microbial pathogenesis, Staphylococcus aureus infection, orthopedic infection
The protozoan parasite Plasmodium is the causative agent of malaria, which remains one of the most prominent public health challenges in the world today. My laboratory is interested in determining how protective antibody responses are generated and maintained in mice after Plasmodium infection, so that we can utilize this information to understand why antibody-mediated immunity is slow to develop in humans. Specifically, we are interested in understanding how memory B cells are generated and maintained after Plasmodium infection, and whether heterogeneity within the me
The Voth laboratory uses novel human-derived models of infection to study bacterial pathogens that establish pulmonary infections in humans.
The Wallace Lab is interested in exploring how we can harness bacteria and yeast to better understand and overcome antibiotic-resistant infections that occur within or arise from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
According to the CDC, more than 1 billion people, or one-sixth of the world’s population, is suffering from one or more Neglected Tropical Diseases with many of these diseases affecting the poorest populations in the developing world. Our lab focuses on the parasitic disease that results from Leishmania infection. We use a combination of mouse models and in vitro culture to define the cellular and molecular mechanisms that are important in the development of disease and the resolution of inflammation. More specifically, we are interested in the balance between the vascular and immune responses that lead to parasite control and those that promote lesion pathology.
Our lab focus on two aspects 1. Role of Chlamydia variants in host pathogenesis. 2. Role of infant diet in gastrointestinal tract development and immune function.
The molecular biology of coronavirus and influenza virus, viral entry and replication, virus-host cell interaction and pathogenesis, viral vaccine and antiviral drug.