People

Research Interests: My lab focuses mainly on mucosal immunity in chronic HIV infection, with an emphasis on the gastrointestinal and reproductive tracts. Topics of interest include tissue-resident T-cells, regulatory T-cells (Treg), mucosa-associated invariant T-cells (MAIT) and the contributions of these cell types to host defense against mucosal pathogens.

Research Interests: As a cellular microbiologist, my research focuses on leveraging insights from pathogen studies to deepen our understanding of host cellular processes. My lab's primary aim is to uncover the virulence mechanisms driving Pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogenesis in wound infections, as well as the eukaryotic host responses designed to control these infections. We also utilize bacterial toxins as molecular tools to explore key mammalian cellular processes, including cell cycle regulation, cytokinesis, programmed cell death (apoptosis), and apoptotic compensatory proliferation signaling. A particular area of interest for us is the innate immune dysregulation that makes diabetic wounds susceptible to infection and impairs healing. In addition, we have identified critical innate immune pathways that recognize P. aeruginosa and investigated how this pathogen suppresses these immune responses. Additionally, we explore the use of immunomodulators to enhance innate immune responses as a strategy for combating infections at surgical sites.

Research Interests: Dr. Snodgrass’s research is focused on understanding how diet and nutritional and metabolic status shape immune function. Active research areas include (1) investigating the impact of diet and stress on cardiovascular risk factors and immune cell function in human subjects, and (2) understanding how gut microbiota and their metabolites, both of which are influenced by diet, contribute to host immunity.

Research Interests: Wound healing, CNS inflammation

Research Interests: The Tan Lab engineers synthetic cells and vesicles for broad biomedical applications, including antibacterial therapy, anticancer treatment, and regenerative medicine. We integrate synthetic genes, proteins, and materials to create new kinds of synthetic cells and vesicles with superior functions to their natural counterparts.

Research Interests: Dr. Toedebusch is a veterinary neurologist and comparative neuro-oncologist dedicated to improving the lives of humans and dogs with brain tumors. She combines her clinical expertise and scientific training to 1) advance understanding of the translational relevance of spontaneously occurring high-grade glioma as a model for human disease and 2) Uncover the molecular mechanisms of immunosuppression in high-grade glioma. Dr. Toedebusch collaborates with a multidisciplinary team of scientists and physicians to develop and test innovative therapies through clinical trials in canine patients. Her ultimate goal is to discover new treatments for brain tumors that benefit both dogs and humans—advancing care and quality of life across species.

Research Interests: Improvement of cancer immunotherapy and development of cancer vaccines.

Research Interests: The Tsolis lab utilizes intracellular bacteria, particularly Salmonella, Brucella, and more recently Chlamydia, to study functioning of the host innate immune system as well as how microbial communities at mucosal surfaces protect against infection. One question the lab has been addressing is how host phagocytes detect subversion of their physiology by injected virulence factors of intracellular pathogens, which led to discovery of a new function for NOD1 and NOD2 in sensing endoplasmic reticulum stress induced by Chlamydia and Brucella. The lab’s work on Salmonella has advanced our understanding of how underlying comorbidities prevalent in the developing world, such as malaria and malnutrition, compromise phagocyte functions required for containment of infection to the gastrointestinal tract, thereby increasing susceptibility to disseminated infection. Most recently the lab has focused on animal modeling to generate a model to study typhoid fever, an infection that is strictly restricted to humans.

Research interests: Our laboratory focuses on the design and application of antibodies and CARs in improving Cancer immunotherapy. We are also interested in identifying regulatory mechanisms in the Cancer-Tumor microenvironment that could interfere with the efficacy of T-cell-based immunotherapy.

Research Interests: The Urbano Lab studies microbial-host interactions that involve the actin cytoskeleton. Immune signals such as IFN-g activate host cells to fight infection by stimulating expression of cellular defenses that include actin-binding proteins (ABPs). Our lab aims to characterize the functions of these ABPs in the context of the immune response and learn how actin-based immunity impacts microbial pathogenesis and pathogen clearance. One area of active research involves the role of ABPs in microbial actin-based motility and cell-to-cell dissemination (Listeria, Shigella, Burkholderia, etc.). Additionally, ABPs are important components of the host cell adhesion and motility machinery. Here we aim to understand how immune activation modifies the mechanical properties of cells to mobilize to sites of infection, capture and eliminate microbes.