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- Department:
- Oral Biology
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - Yes
- Last Updated
- 6/16/2023 2:11:59 PM
- Research Description
- Bacteria-Host Interactions, Microbe-Microbe interactions, Systemic infections, Oral infections, Intracellular Bacteria, Biofilms, bacterial genetics and physiology
- Department:
- Molecular Genetics & Microbiology
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - No
- Last Updated
- 7/11/2023 3:50:01 PM
- Research Description
- Molecular pathogenesis of the herpesviruses; role of long non-coding RNAs and miRNAs on latency and reactivation; development of novel therapeutics to disrupt HSV latency and block recurrent disease.
- Department:
- Molecular Genetics & Microbiology
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - No
- Last Updated
- 6/13/2023 1:22:24 PM
- Research Description
- We study how enteric viral pathogens (rotavirus, norovirus, astrovirus…) infect and replicate in the human gastro-intestinal tract. We aim at defining how host/enteric pathogen interactions is coordinated at the molecular level in space and time and how these complex interactions can either lead to pathology development or resolution of viral infection. Our goal is to exploit these mechanisms to develop novel antiviral therapeutic approaches and pharmacological interventions to treat inflammatory bowel diseases. We use a multidisciplinary approach combining molecular and cellular biology, state-of-the-art live single molecule imaging, bio-engineering (to simulate the physiological microenvironment) and single cell transcriptomic approaches. Our integrative research approach allows us to address within a tissue how individual cell types communicate together to coordinate different antiviral strategies to ultimately lead to viral clearance while maintaining tissue homeostasis.
- Department:
- Medicine
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - No
- Last Updated
- 6/22/2023 1:22:52 PM
- Research Description
- The goal of our work is to understand how misfolded alpha-1-antitrypsin causes cellular injury in liver and innate immune cells and to develop rational therapies to modulate this injury. To accomplish this goal we use cellular and animal models and transl
- Department:
- Medicine
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - No
- Last Updated
- 6/14/2023 2:14:46 PM
- Research Description
- My lab studies the response of blood vessels within the lung to immunoregulatory cell recruitment, and how this may contribute to the development of high blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension; PH), and heart failure, in patients with chronic lung diseases. Specific pathways of interest include: circadian biology influence on PH (models and patients with disease), free DNA sensing pathway, and exploring the contribution of dysautonomia to PH.
- Department:
- Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Oral Medicine Division
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - Yes
- Last Updated
- 7/13/2023 10:49:48 AM
- Research Description
- Pathogenesis of autoimmune Sjogren's disease Innate immunity of Sjogren’s disease. PKR sensing of mitochondrial dsRNA in childhood Sjogren’s disease Salivary gland regeneration Diagnostic/therapeutic strategies
- Department:
- Ophthalmology
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - Yes
- Last Updated
- 7/13/2023 12:24:01 PM
- Research Description
- Dr. Dinculescu received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from University of Florida in 2002. Her research is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms in several retinal degeneration disorders, including Usher syndrome. The ultimate goal is to develop therapeutic strategies to prevent the loss of sight caused by these disorders. Usher syndrome type III (USH3A), an autosomal recessive disorder, is caused by mutations in Clarin-1 (CLRN1) protein, leading to combined vision and hearing loss. The main goal of this project is to understand the function of CLRN1 in the retina, identify its binding partners, and its cellular localization pattern. This information will be used to develop a rational treatment for the USH3A disorder. She is also interested in protein aggregation mechanisms leading to the formation of extracellular deposits associated with vision loss in age-related macular degeneration, a major cause of blindness in the elderly population.
- Department:
- Medicine
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - Yes
- Last Updated
- 6/15/2023 2:46:26 PM
- Research Description
- Development of anti-infective countermeasures for bacterial infections of bio-warfare or bio-terrorism potential. Development of aerosol infection models.
- Department:
- Pediatrics
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - Yes
- Last Updated
- 7/13/2023 11:48:26 AM
- Research Description
- The major focus of my research group is aimed at immune modulation and tolerance induction using cell and adeno-associated virus (AAV) viral gene therapies. We are developing novel gene immunotherapies that are capable of inducing antigen-specific regulatory T cells (Tregs) as a therapeutic intervention for autoimmune and genetic disease such as Multiple Sclerosis, optic neuritis, celiac disease, etc.
- Department:
- Chemical Engineering
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - Yes
- Last Updated
- 6/15/2023 1:08:43 PM
- Research Description
- My research group is generating insights and solutions to problems with genome engineering, specifically CRISPR/Cas systems.
- Department:
- Molecular Genetics & Microbiology
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - Yes
- Last Updated
- 6/13/2023 1:30:22 PM
- Research Description
- Pathogenesis of noroviruses and virus-microbiota interactions, with a particular emphasis on understanding neonatal susceptibility to severe norovirus disease and maternal/microbial regulation of neonatal susceptibility.
- Department:
- Oral Biology
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - No
- Last Updated
- 6/15/2023 12:51:46 PM
- Research Description
- The current focus of our laboratory is to define the role of host response and inflammation in the context of influenza and influenza-associated secondary bacterial infections. We are actively investigating how influenza virus develops an exuberant host response implicated in immune-mediated lung pathology that exacerbates viral pneumonia and make influenza-infected lungs permissive to secondary bacterial infections. Because host response plays a double-edged role in executing viral control and driving collateral lung damage, our long-term goal is to de-couple protective vs. pathologic components of host response during influenza and secondary infections. We use a multifaceted approach focusing on multiple immune cells, such as CD8+ T cells and myeloid cells, to determine the crucial interplay between inflammatory cells and their communication with non-hematopoietic (alveolar epithelial) cells that result in acute lung damage. Further, we are evaluating multiple newly developed next generation vaccines against bacterial pneumonia.
- Department:
- Oral Biology
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - Yes
- Last Updated
- 6/20/2023 12:14:23 PM
- Research Description
- Research in my lab focuses on deciphering the virulence mechanisms of the opportunistic nosocomial pathogen Enterococcus faecalis and the dental pathogen Streptococcus mutans. Ongoing projects include characterization of (i) global stress regulator Spx in S. mutans, (ii) regulatory nucleotides in E. faecalis, and (iii) studies to identify and determine the importance of mechanisms of metal homeostasis to the pathophysiology of both species.
- Department:
- Surgery
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - No
- Last Updated
- 6/22/2023 12:40:59 PM
- Research Description
- My main research interest is to understand the acute and chronic immune dysfcuntion that occurs after severe trauma that is associated with increased susceptibility to devastating infections. I use an established mouse model of burn injury and have developed NIH-funded animal models of burn injury combined with radiation or inhalation injury to test potential countermeasures. I also have the unique ability to translate my findings with a large number of banked burn patient samples within a Burn Biorepository. My current major projects include: 1) focusing on DAMPs and TLR/mTOR-dependent activation of dysfunctional immune and metabolic responses after injury, investigating specific modulators of this interaction, 2) defining and implementing a rapid, point-of-care “immunosuppressive index” to allow better patient management, 3) investigating the role of NRF2 in inhalation injury and potential activation of that pathway to improve outcomes, and 4) investigating the role of extracellular vesicles in disease pathogenesis and as biomarkers of patient outcomes.
- Department:
- Oral Biology
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - Yes
- Last Updated
- 7/13/2023 11:51:07 AM
- Research Description
- My research focuses on elucidating the mechanisms of brain invasion by the AIDS-associated encapsulated fungus Cryptococcus neoformans and the interactions of this eukaryotic microbe with cells of the central nervous system including microglia, astrocytes, and neurons.
- Department:
- Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - No
- Last Updated
- 6/22/2023 1:01:40 PM
- Research Description
- Genetics of resistance to autoimmune diabetes; oxidative burden of the beta cell.
- Department:
- Oral Biology
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - Yes
- Last Updated
- 6/15/2023 1:47:54 PM
- Research Description
- Research in Dr. Nguyen’s lab is focused on the immunopathogenesis of autoimmunity, especially Sjogren’s disease. To explore the development of autoimmunity, the lab focuses on three areas, 1) Examine the environmental triggers such as the SARS-CoV-2 infection, 2) Apply single-cell techniques to understand the interaction and regulation of individual immune cells in the affected organs, and 3) Use predictive modeling tools to identify and develop new therapeutic targets for precision medicine
- Department:
- Oral Biology
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - No
- Last Updated
- 6/15/2023 12:42:21 PM
- Research Description
- Interdisciplinary biomedical research; switch mechanisms in health versus disease; oncogenic viral infections and cancer; genome-wide studies; epigenetic and signaling regulation of cell identity
- Department:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - Yes
- Last Updated
- 6/22/2023 1:23:24 PM
- Research Description
- Biomaterials engineering, type 1 diabetes, islet biology, immune engineering
- Department:
- Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - Yes
- Last Updated
- 8/1/2023 4:40:02 PM
- Research Description
- Responsible for instruction and mentorship of graduate students in conjunction with the Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine academic programs including teaching a molecular evolution/phylodynamics, or genomics/bioinformatics course to students in the College of Medicine annually, training PhD students, contributing to the graduate curriculum. A significant amount of her time will also be dedicated to research and she is expected to develop a robust research program that will attract extra mural funding. Your research efforts will be in the field of HIV, Vibrio cholerae, SARS-CoV-2 and arboviruses evolution, molecular epidemiology, and pathogenesis, by applying next generation sequencing and single cell genomic technologies, as well as capable of developing bioinformatic analysis pipelines.
- Department:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - Yes
- Last Updated
- 6/28/2023 3:19:42 PM
- Research Description
- Lab research centers on engineering cell-based tissues for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes, specifically the development of novel biomaterials for: immunomodulation and promoting cellular engraftment
Megan L. Stanifer Ph.D.
- Department:
- Molecular Genetics & Microbiology
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - Yes
- Last Updated
- 6/13/2023 1:37:43 PM
- Research Description
- The Stanifer lab evaluates host/pathogen interactions at mucosal surfaces such as the human respiratory and intestinal tracts. We use primary organoid models to evaluate how and why individual cell types are infected and mount an antiviral immune response to clear the infection.
- Department:
- Oral Biology
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - Yes
- Last Updated
- 7/13/2023 11:58:20 AM
- Research Description
- We study the molecular and cellular mechanisms of lifelong herpesvirus infections, focusing on the cancer-causing DNA virus called KSHV. We use KSHV mutants, proteomics, RNA and recombinant DNA technologies to identify and investigate the viral and host factors that are crucial in the regulation of KSHV infection.
- Department:
- Physiological Sciences
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - No
- Last Updated
- 7/13/2023 12:22:24 PM
- Research Description
- Genome wide CRISPR screens in Toxicology and Cancer Genetics of toxicants susceptibility Gene editing
- Department:
- Medicine
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - Yes
- Last Updated
- 4/26/2022
- Research Description
- Our current research falls within the general themes of host-pathogen interactions, and is divided into two major areas 1) Molecular studies of HIV and HCV pathogenesis and drug resistance and 2) Ecology of indigenous microbial communities associated with human infections.
- Department:
- Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - No
- Last Updated
- 6/22/2023 12:32:44 PM
- Research Description
- My laboratory focus is on the immunopathogenesis of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). Aspects of this work include refining prediction of disease onset/progression through the use of genetics, autoantibody assessment. Current projects focus on functional interactions between endocrine/exocrine/immune cells in human pancreas using innovative 3D approaches (e.g., pancreas slice cultures, lightsheet microscopy, multiplexed immunofluorescence).
- Department:
- Pediatrics
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - No
- Last Updated
- 6/22/2023 12:26:50 PM
- Research Description
- The Wynn laboratory is focused on the investigation of neonatal-specific innate immune cellular function and inflammatory signaling during sepsis as well as development of novel therapeutic immunomodulatory strategies aimed at improving sepsis outcomes. Sepsis represents a significant clinical problem in the developmentally immature preterm neonate where attack rates may reach 60 percent with a 40 percent rate of death/major disability in developed countries. We employ both preclinical mechanistic investigations in association with observational human studies to improve our understanding of the neonatal-specific host response to sepsis. We use a wide variety of molecular and genetic techniques to interrogate the immune response viain vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro approaches. Applications of our work include improving the accuracy of sepsis diagnostic methods, identification of prognostic and clinical stratification markers, and discovery of potential opportunities for translational interventions aimed at improving infection-related outcomes.
- Department:
- Oral Biology
- Concentrations:
- Accepting Students
- Yes
- Accepting Students if
Funding Obtained - No
- Last Updated
- 6/21/2023 9:47:41 AM
- Research Description
- My research focuses on the metabolism of carbohydrates by oral bacteria, specifically how sugars affect bacterial behavior at the molecular level and contribute to oral health and diseases. Dental caries is the most prevalent infectious disease in humans, a condition caused by microbiome dysbiosis, or loss of balance in bacterial diversity, with overconsumption of sugar being the number one risk factor. The best defense against dental caries is a healthy microbiome. Our research has identified important features in sugar metabolism that separate pathogens from health-associated bacteria, and provided understanding in how these differences contribute to bacterial competitiveness and affect the virulence potential of dental plaque. One such example is our recent discovery that amino sugars may be able to modulate bacterial behavior in model systems to the detriment of a well-known caries pathogen, Streptococcus mutans. The ultimate goal of our program is to provide basic understanding needed to create or improve upon therapeutics toward more effective caries control. For a complete list of publications see: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/14ofj_mnGmAAd/bibliography/public/