Immunology Graduate Program

Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Immune System

Vladimir Badovinac, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology
Office: 137 MRC
Phone: 384-2930
Email: vladimir-badovinac@uiowa.edu
Generation and manipulation of memory CD8 T cell responses
 
CD8 T cells are important in defense against viruses, intracellular bacteria and protozoan pathogens and are also potentially important in defense against malignancy. They recognize and respond to pathogen-encoded peptides displayed by MHC class I molecules on infected cells or on antigen (Ag)-presenting cells (APC) that have acquired these peptides through crosspresentation pathways. Activated CD8 T cells manifest an array of antimicrobial effector pathways and molecules, which eliminate infected cells (cytolysis) or recruit and activate other immune cells (cytokines). Thus, stimulation of pathogen-specific CD8 T cell responses is an important goal of vaccination.

Our main goals are:

To establish relevant experimental models to study antigen-experienced CD8 T cells in vivo;

To determine the factors that influence generation, maintenance and function of memory CD8 T cells;

To characterize CD8 T cells responding to multiple rounds of antigenic stimulations;

To define homeostasis of tumor (self)-specific CD8 T cells.
 
Selected Publications
Click Here for a Complete List of Articles
 Badovinac  V.P., Messingham, K.A., Jabbari, A., Haring, J.S. and Harty, J.T. Accelerated CD8+ T cell-memory and prime-boost response after dendritic-cell vaccination. Nature Medicine 11, 748-756, 2005.

 Badovinac  V.P., Haring, J.S. and Harty, J.T. Initial TCR-transgenic precursor frequency dictates critical aspects of the CD8 T cell response to infection. Immunity 26, 827-841, 2007.

 Badovinac  V.P. and Harty, J.T. Manipulating the rate of memory CD8 T cell generation after acute infection. The Journal of Immunology 179, 53-63, 2007.

Harty, J.T. and  Badovinac  V.P. Shaping and reshaping CD8 T cell memory. Nature Reviews Immunology 8, 107-119, 2008.

Department/Program Affiliations
Pathology
Biosciences
Immunology