Faculty

Melanie Gareau, PhD

  • Associate Professor
  • Department of Anatomy, Physiology & Cell Biology
Research interests: Characterizing the microbiota-gut-brain axis in models of inflammatory bowel disease and following infection with an enteric bacterial pathogen. Determining the mechanisms involved in the development of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in early life.
2017 Vet Med 3B

Satya Dandekar, PhD

  • Professor and Chair
  • Department of Microbiology & Immunology
Research interests: Mucosal immunity against pathogens. Molecular Pathogenesis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus +1 HIV and Simian Immunodeficiency Virus +1 SIV Infections with Special Emphasis on Gastrointestinal Mucosal Lymphoid Tissue +1 GALT as a Major Target Organ of the Viral Infection, and as a Viral Reservoir. Repair and renewal of gut mucosal immune system during therapy.

Lillian Cruz-Orengo, PhD

  • Associate Professor
  • Department of Anatomy, Physiology & Cell Biology
Research interests: My research focuses on sexual dimorphism of the blood- brain barrier +1 BBB microvasculature as a relevant contributor to MS neuropathogenesis with the purpose of developing sex-specific therapeutic targets. Using the chemokine ligand CXCL12, a key regulator of immune trafficking into the central nervous system +1 CNS as a biomarker, we hope to understand how BBB polarity is differentially regulated in females during CNS autoimmunity.

Huaijun Zhou, PhD

  • Professor
  • Department of Animal Science
Research in immunogenetics, molecular genetics, functional genomics, and bioinformatics in poultry. Focused on elucidating the molecular and cellular mechanisms of host-pathogen interaction including disease resistance, immune response, and pathogenesis of infection. The overall goals are to understand genetic regulation of host response and basic mechanisms of pathogen virulence in animals, to identify host and pathogen genes that are involved in the host-pathogen interplay. The pathogens of interest are food-borne bacteria such as Campylobacter and Salmonella and avian influenza virus.
2247 Meyer Hall