Roles
Research Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
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Biography
I am an immunologist with a background in human and non-human primate (NHP) research. My expertise lies in the immunopathogenesis of infectious diseases and vaccine immunology. Currently, my research is primarily centered on elucidating the mechanisms underlying impaired immune function in the context of aging, with a specific focus on the aging population affected by HIV infection. To achieve this, I employ an integrative approach that combines the fields of immunology, metabolism, and vaccine responses. -
Education & Training
Education
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Honors & Awards
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Research Interests
Investigate the intersection of immunity, inflammation, and infectious diseases in the context of aging, HIV infection, and drug abuse. This area of research is significant as it provides insights into the impact of inflammation on immunity in aging, age-related disorders, and chronic infections. A central focus is understanding how inflammation influences signaling in innate and adaptive immune cells, and how these signals regulate the characteristics and functions of immune cells. This approach involves collaborating with clinics to establish study cohorts, designing methodologies to investigate the immune system through in-vivo techniques such as vaccination or studying the immune response to ongoing infections, developing innovative laboratory-based immunology studies to examine the immune system in-vitro, and integrating functional immunology at the single-cell level with single-cell transcriptomics, proteomics, and epigenetic investigations. To gain a thorough understanding of immune dysfunction in aging, I am collaborating with non-human primates (NHP) research centers to create NHP models of aging and HIV. An important question that should be answered through an NHP model is whether immuno-modifying agents, either on their own or when combined with cART, can mitigate immune disruptions caused by aging or infectious diseases and uphold gut/lymphoid immune balance. Furthermore, it is crucial to investigate whether interventions aimed at reducing inflammation/immune activation can prevent or reverse inflammaging, influence disease outcomes, and restore immune function at specific sites. To address this, research on the metabolic regulation associated with aging, infection, and co-morbidities, and its impact on immunity, to understand the role of immunometabolism in shaping immunity in the context of aging and HIV infection, is being conducted. Investigating metabolic reprogramming in aging and infectious diseases, as well as exploring how immunometabolism regulates immune cell function, immunosenescence, and the development of co-morbidities, is a crucial area of study. -
Publications
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Professional Activities
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