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 stimuli to trigger multiple arms of the immune response to increase vaccine efficacy.

My main project centers on the development of a successful cellular vaccine. This approach utilizes manipulated immune cells as vaccine vehicles against cancer or infectious agents. In the general model of a cellular vaccine, antigen presenting cells are removed from a patient, activated against a particular target ex vivo, and reintroduced into the patient. Our lab recently showed that B lymphocytes are effective as the antigen-presenting cell in cellular vaccines. I am currently focusing on optimizing peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) for use in cellular vaccines. Using an unseparated, mixed cell population such as PBMC would be more feasible and cost-effective in a clinical setting. Additionally, mixed population cellular vaccines may be more effective than purified B cell vaccines due to the presence of additional cell types and activating cytokines. I am investigating ways to exploit those strengths as I test hypotheses about approaches that may be useful in vaccine design.

Buchta CM, Bishop GA. Toll-like receptors and B cells: functions and mechanisms. Immunol Res. 2014 May 22. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID:24847763.

Buchta CM, Bishop GA. TRAF5 negatively regulates TLR signaling in B lymphocytes. J Immunol. 2014 Jan 1;192(1):145-50. doi:10.4049 /jimmunol.1301901. Epub 2013 Nov 20. PubMed PMID: 24259503; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3872259.

Hildebrand JM, Yi Z, Buchta CM, Poovassery J, Stunz LL, Bishop GA. Roles of tumor necrosis factor receptor associated factor 3 (TRAF3) and TRAF5 in immune cell functions. Immunol Rev. 2011 Nov;244(1):55-74. doi:10.1111/j.1600-065X.2011.01055.x. Review. PubMed PMID: 22017431; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3202299.

Vanden Bush TJ, Buchta CM, Claudio J, Bishop GA. Cutting Edge: Importance of IL-6 and cooperation between innate and adaptive immune receptors in cellular vaccination with B lymphocytes. J Immunol. 2009 Oct 15;183(8):4833-7. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.0900968. PubMed PMID: 19801508.

Honors and Awards

• Appointed to the Immunology Predoctoral Training Grant
• Immunology Admissions Committee Student Representative 2010-2011
• AAI Young Investigator Award at the 2011
• Abstract Trainee Award from the American Association of Immunologists, Boston, MA 2012