About
The faculty members with an immunology research focus seek to define and understand how the immune system effectively prevents disease by microbial infection or oncogenic transformation, while at the same time avoids damaging self-tissues. Many are using this knowledge to develop novel and effective disease prevention and therapeutic measures. The students enrolled in the immunology program will gain a thorough understanding of these processes in humans as well as in comparative animal models. The training includes recommended course work and research rotations in the laboratories of associated investigators, in addition to an Immunology Journal Club and weekly Seminars in Immunology hosted by the Institute for Immunology. Student fellowship opportunities are available through several NIH-sponsored training grants.
The Biology of Infectious Disease research interest group encompasses diverse experimental systems, including parasites, bacteria, fungi, viruses and disease vectors. The faculty members present a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of infectious disease and microbial pathology. Faculty research involves the study of bacterial pathogens such asBorrelia and Chlamydia, the protozoan agents of malaria, toxoplasmosis and sleeping sickness (Plasmodium, Toxoplasma and Trypanosoma), the viral pathogens Dengue virus and HIV, and the tick (Ixodes) and mosquito (Anopheles and Aedes) insect vectors that spread human pathogens that cause malaria, Lyme disease and Dengue fever.
Featured Videos
Matt Inlay
Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Molecular mechanisms regulating developmental fate decisions in embryonic and adult hematopoiesis in mouse and humans.
minlay@uci.edu
Francesco Marangoni
Physiology & Biophysics
Identify immune regulatory mechanisms within tumors using functional intravital microscopy (F-IVM), and to counteract them to improve the efficacy of immunotherapies
f.marangoni@uci.edu
Matthew Marsden
Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
HIV latency and cure approaches
mdmarsde@hs.uci.edu
Lisa Wagar
Physiology & Biophysics
How microenvironments within lymphoid tissues regulate the adaptive immune response to infectious diseases and vaccines
lwagar@hs.uci.edu
Faculty
- Rosa Andrade, rmandra1@uci.edu, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
Toxoplasma gondii, Entamoeba histolytica,Neglected Tropical Diseases and drug discovery. Clinical Interests: HIV and STD management. - Elizabeth N. Bess, elizabeth.bess@uci.edu, Chemistry
Uncovering chemical reactions encoded in the gut microbiome to understand and treat human disease - Thomas Burke, tpburke@uci.edu, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics My lab focuses on innate immunity, bacterial pathogenesis, and developing novel strategies for activating the immune system to fight cancer
- Michael D. Cahalan, mcahalan@uci.edu, Physiology & Biophysics
T cell activation: ion channels, calcium signaling, and gene expression - Michael Demetriou, mdemetri@uci.edu, Neurology and Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
Molecular biology and glycobiology of T cell dysfunction in autoimmune demyelinating disease - Nir Drayman, nirdra@uci.edu, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Studies how cell-to-cell variability affects viral infection outcomes using technologies such as live-imaging, machine learning, single-cell RNA-sequencing and microfluidics - Donald Forthal, dnfortha@uci.edu, Medicine, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Interactions between antibodies and Fc receptors and the role of these interactions in preventing, controlling or enhancing infection with HIV and related lentiviruses - David A. Fruman, dfruman@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Signaling pathways controlling lymphocyte activation and differentiation - Orkide Koyuncu, okoyuncu@hs.uci.edu, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Virus infections of the nervous system, and understanding the molecular mechanisms of alpha herpesvirus (HSV, PRV, VZV) invasion, latency establishment and reactivation in the peripheral nervous system neurons
- Melissa Lodoen, mlodoen@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Innate immunity, host-microbe interactions, and immune evasion by Toxoplasma gondii - Francesco Marangoni, f.marangoni@uci.edu, Physiology & Biophysics
Identify immune regulatory mechanisms within tumors using functional intravital microscopy (F-IVM), and to counteract them to improve the efficacy of immunotherapies - Matthew Marsden, mdmarsde@hs.uci.edu, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics HIV latency and cure approaches
- Selma Masri, smasri@uci.edu, Biological Chemistry
Cancer and stem cell biology, immune microenvironment, young-onset cancer and circadian clock disruption - Naomi Morrissette, nmorrriss@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Genetic, cell biological and structure-function studies of tubulin and microtubules in Apicomplexan parasites - Dequina Nicholas, dequinaa@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry Function and metabolism of immune cells in type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome; Biology of lipid antigen presentation and pituitary macrophages
- Shivashankar Othy, sothy@uci.edu Physiology and Biophysics
Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Immune Regulation: Decoding Neuro-Immune Interactions, Vaccine Mechanisms, and Mechanosignaling in Immune System - Eric Pearlman, epearlma@uci.edu, Ophthalmology and Physiology & Biophysics
Regulatory role of neutrophils in bacterial and fungal infections - A. Olga Razorenova, olgar@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Internal (oncogenes/tumor suppressor genes) and external (tumor microenvironment)
factors regulating tumor progression and metastasis. - Rozanne M. Sandri-Goldin, rmsandri@uci.edu, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
Structure and functional analysis of a multifunction herpes virus regulatory protein - Bert L. Semler, blsemler@uci.edu, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
Replication of picornavirus RNAs; RNA-protein and protein-protein interactions - Albert Siryaporn, asirya@uci.edu, Physics & Astronomy and Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Bacterial pathogenesis, mechanical signal transduction, and biofilm development
- Ming Tan, mingt@uci.edu, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, and Medicine
Chlamydia infections: Gene regulation and host pathogen interactions - Andrea J. Tenner, atenner@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Innate immunity; the roles of complement and phagocytes in health and disease - Roberto Tinoco, rtinoco@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Adaptive Immune Responses; cellular and molecular mechanisms that promote T cell exhaustion during chronic viral infection and cancer - Armando Villalta, armando.villalta@uci.edu, Physiology and Biophysics
Immune cell and organ system interactions that promote tissue injury and repair - Lisa Wagar, lwagar@hs.uci.edu, Physiology & Biophysics How microenvironments within lymphoid tissues regulate the adaptive immune response to infectious diseases and vaccines
- Craig M. Walsh, cwalsh@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Apoptotic mechanisms in immune development and homeostasis - Travis Wiles, travis.wiles@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry Exploring how the spatiotemporal organization of animal microbiomes can be engineered to promote health
- Xiangmin Xu, xiangmix@uci.edu, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
Molecular Genetics
Faculty – Secondary Affiliation
- Steve Allison, allisons@uci.edu, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Microbial ecology, modeling, and global environmental change - Minji Byun, byunm1@uci.edu, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
Epigenetic modifiers in the regulation of immune cell function - Angela Fleischman, agf@uci.edu, Medicine and Biological Chemistry
Hematopoietic stem cell biology and leukemia - David A. Fruman, dfruman@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in leukemia and lymphoma cells - Paul Gershon, pgershon@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Mechanistic and structural characterization of vaccinia viral proteins, with an emphasis on specific mRNA synthetic and modification enzymes, using mass spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and crystallography - Allon Hochbaum, hochbaum@uci.edu, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Biological and bioinspired materials; chemical and biophysical regulation of bacterial biofilms; supramolecular protein assembly - Matt Inlay, minlay@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Molecular mechanisms regulating developmental fate decisions in embryonic and adult hematopoiesis in mouse and humans. - Rongsheng Jin, r.jin@uci.edu, Physiology & Biophysics
Structure and function of synaptic proteins; neurotoxins and receptors; protein complexes; protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions; X-ray crystallography - Barb Jusiak, bjusiak@uci.edu, Physiology and Biophysics
Development of anti-cancer gene circuits and immune modulation with synthetic biology in mammalian and Drosophila systems - Thomas E. Lane, tlane@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Defining the molecular and cellular mechanisms that contribute to both host defense and disease following viral infection of the central nervous system (CNS) - Haoping Liu, h4liu@uci.edu, Biological Chemistry
MAP kinase signal transduction; dimorphic regulation in yeast - Jennifer B.H. Martiny, jmartiny@uci.edu, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Diversity, evolution, and functioning of microbial communities (microbiomes). - Ivan Marazzi, imarazzi@uci.edu, Biological Chemistry
Epigenetic and chromatin-mediated control of gene expression in the context of the cellular response to pathogens or differentiation - Michael McClelland, mmcclell@uci.edu, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Evolution of Salmonella pathogenesis; bacterial therapy for cancer; cancer genomics and prognostics. - Reginald “Reggie” McNulty, rmcnulty@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Macromolecular assemblies in inflammation and cancer using Cryo-EM and other approaches - Haik Mkhikian, hmkhikia@uci.edu, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Understanding the role of glycans in cell-surface biology, autoimmunity, and immunosenescence; Developing new tools/approaches to study glycobiology questions - Benjamin R. Morehouse, b.morehouse@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Exploring the evolutionary connections between diverse prokaryotic and eukaryotic immune systems using structural biology and biochemistry approaches - Edward L. Nelson, enelson@uci.edu, Medicine and Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Tumor immunology, dendritic cell biology, and anti-tumor immunotherapeutics - Jennifer Prescher, jpresche@uci.edu, Chemistry, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Probing biological systems with chemical tools and noninvasive imaging - Christine Suetterlin, suetterc@uci.edu, Developmental and Cell Biology
.Chlamydia cell biology - Katrine Whiteson, katrine@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Metagenomics, metabolomics and community culture models of host-associated microbial and viral communities in health and disease; human microbiome; microbial ecology. - Alvin Yu, alviny6@uci.edu, Physiology & Biophysics
Innate immune sensors, HIV self-assembly, theory and simulation of viral proteins - Weian Zhao, weianz@uci.edu, Biological Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Stem cell engineering and clinical translation, molecular sensors and diagnostics, single-cell analysis and screening, cancer immunotherapy