The Germinal Center and T Regulatory Cells Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that germinal center (GC) reactions in the murine spleen exhibit characteristics of a steady state reaction, including the process of isotype switching. At all time points during the splenic GC response, the...

CD4 and CD8 effector T cells are the main instigators of lacrimal gland tissue damage in the autoimmune disease, Sjögren syndrome. It is unknown how these lymphocytes migrate to the tissue, and why they aggregate there and attack the glands [1]. After activation in lymph nodes, T cells receive key...

TRAF3 is an intracellular adaptor protein that regulates lymphocyte function in a cell-type specific manner. In T cells, TRAF3 is required for signaling through the TCR, differentiation and function of invariant NK T cells, restraint of Treg differentiation, and T cell responses to immunization and...

Our long-term interest lies in elucidating the mechanisms that govern CD8 T cell responses after infection and/or immunization. We are interested in exploring the pathways that are involved in Ag-specific CD8 T cell homeostasis in vivo and exploring how the manipulation of these pathways can be used...

Dr. Ballas's clinical interests place major emphasis on the evaluation of immune dysfunction. In particular, he examines patients with possible abnormalities in distinct components of the immune system such as NK cells, CD8, CD4 or B lymphocytes as well as neutrophil deficiency. He is also...

Regulation of B cell activation balances effective antimicrobial responses with protection from autoimmunity and lymphoma. CD40 and CD95 are tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily molecules signaling activation and apoptosis, respectively, in B cells. Activation of B cells through CD40...

Neonatal immunology and immune system development The Bermick laboratory is interested in how the neonatal immune system develops under normal conditions and after early life inflammatory exposures. Current projects include: - Longitudinal cytokine/chemokine profiling of serum and stool from...

Sepsis is characterized by a disseminated infection, resulting in a hyperinflammatory state, followed by prolonged immunoparalysis which is characterized by severe transient lymphopenia and long-lasting immunological dysregulation. Our lab focus on naïve and memory CD8 T cell responses after acute...

I am interested in understanding the molecular events initiated by TCR activation. Specifically, I am focused on understanding how the Grb2 family of adaptor proteins, mediate and control signaling complexes that are crucial for signal transduction downstream of the TCR. The project is centered on...

Our lab studies molecular mechanisms of lymphocyte activation. By investigating how cells communicate with one another and their environment, we address how normal immunity, autoimmunity and malignancy are regulated. A major focus is understanding signals delivered to cells by members of the Tumor...

Ebola virus (EBOV), a negative sense single stranded RNA virus of the Filoviridae family, is the pathogen behind episodic outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever. With mortality rates for infections often exceeding 50% and an outbreak currently underway in the DRC (As of June 2018), solidifying our...

The Klesney-Tait lab investigates the intersection of lung immunology, neutrophil biology, and triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (TREM-1.) The lungs represent a unique challenge for the immune system given their immense surface area, continuous exposure to the environment, and...

The Waldschmidt lab is interested in germinal center (GC) B cell biology. GC reactions in secondary and tertiary lymphoid tissues are vital for producing T cell-dependent humoral immune responses to infection. Antigen-specific B cells enter the GC and undergo intense expansion, somatic hypermutation...

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system characterized by the infiltration of immune cells across the blood-brain barrier. While the contribution of CD4+ T cells is well characterized in MS, the role of CD8+ T cells remains ambiguous. Studies from...

My research examines the role that TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) plays in the immune response to influenza infection. Classically, roles for TRAIL have been in the context of tumor immunology, where interactions of TRAIL with its ligand DR-5 (TRAIL-R2) stimulate apoptosis in tumor...

Bishop GA, Hostager BS, Brown KD. Mechanisms of TNF receptor-associated factor (TRAF) regulation in B lymphocytes. J Leukoc Biol. 2002 Jul;72(1):19-23. Review. PubMed PMID: 12101258. Brown KD, Hostager BS, Bishop GA. Regulation of TRAF2 signaling by self-induced degradation. J Biol Chem. 2002 May...

The Bishop lab studies lymphocyte activation. My project focuses on studying novel strategies to enhance the efficacy of vaccination. I am currently focusing on the roles played by specific types of lymphocytes in stimulating the immune response to vaccines. I am examining the optimal combination of...

Research projects: Human coronaviruses are important pathogens that cause significant morbidity and mortality. This has been made especially clear by the recent emergence of SARS-human coronavirus (HCoV), the etiologic agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome. My work in Dr. Perlman’s laboratory...

Malaria remains a global health crisis with billions of people at risk for developing this disease each year. Our research is focused on understanding how the function of Plasmodium parasite-specific T cells and B cells are regulated during malaria. Our broader goals are to use this information to...

My research examines the role of NK cells and their ligands in the control of viral infections. NK cells are a heterogeneous population of lymphocytes capable of targeting and killing infected cells, as well as contributing to the priming of the adaptive immune response. The Heusel lab is...

Immune competence in mice after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation We are interested in looking at humoral competence in mice after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Human patients that receive a bone marrow transplant experience delayed reconstitution of B cells and B cell function. We...

Mechanisms of immunopathology mediated by RSV-specific CD4 T cells My research focuses on the CD4 T cell response to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). A vaccine for RSV was tested in children in the 1960’s and was found to result in increased morbidity and mortality upon subsequent natural...

The Role of FAK and Pyk2 in the Activation of Human T cells Human T cells control the adaptive immune response to pathogens and are also linked to the pathogenesis of multiple human diseases. T cells require two stimulatory signals to become fully activated. The first of these signals is delivered...

Dr. Cho’s clinical interests include critical care and general pulmonary disease. Her research focuses on understanding the immunologic mechanisms of pulmonary disease. Specifically, her laboratory utilizes basic models of disease and translational studies to investigate innate and adaptive immune...

Our lab is interested in understanding the mechanisms that guide the development of B cells and how these contribute to cancers that arise from B cell precursors. To this end, we’ve studied a strain of mutant mice that are unable to form B cells and are aptly named Justy because they have "just T"...