Immunobiology currently has over 40 affiliated faculty members from 12 participating university departments as well as the National Animal Disease Center (NADC).
| Name | Department | Research Interests |
|---|---|---|
| Claire Andreasen | Vet Path | Leukocyte function in avians and mammals and infectious disease and hematopoietic interaction |
| Amy Andreotti | BBMB | Nuclear magnetic resonance Macromolecular structure and recognition |
| Adam Barb | BBMB | Structure of IgG Fc and role of the conserved N-glycan in immune activation; nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy |
| Bryan Bellaire | VMPM | Research is focused on determining the host pathogen interactions that take place during bacterial infections. Specifically, the laboratory works to understand how different Brucella species, bacterial pathogens of swine, cattle and humans, causes chronic infections in various mammalian species. |
| Julie Blanchong | NREM | Our lab uses molecular genetic and immunological approaches to investigate the causes and consequences of disease in free-ranging wildlife. |
| Brad Blitvich | VMPM | Specializes in arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) and their mosquito vectors. His primary research focuses are to 1) identify the genetic determinants that condition the differential host ranges, transmission dynamics and tropisms of insect-specific, vertebrate-specific and vertebrate-mosquito transmitted flaviviruses and 2) determine the impact of arboviruses, such as West Nile virus and Cache Valley virus, on human and veterinary animal health in Mexico. |
| Chandrashekhar (Chandru) Charavaryamath | BMS |
1. Mechanisms of lung inflammation and gut-lung axis in regulating inflammation (PI) |
| Michael Cho | BMS | Development of a vaccine against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1), the virus that causes AIDS. In connection with this research, we characterize biochemical and immunological properties of viral envelope glycoprotein, develop and evaluate novel vaccine vectors, and examine virus-host interactions at various levels. |
| Joan Cunnick | Animal Science | Understanding how various stressors (physical, psychological and interoceptive) affect the immune system |
| Kay Faaberg | NADC & VMPM | Molecular virology and host pathogenesis of porcine reproductive and respiratory disease virus (PRRSV) |
| Heather Greenlee | BMS | Systems biology: Combining computational and traditional experimental approaches to understand cell fate determination in the developing retina. Neurodegeneration: Using retinal morphology and function to understand the pathogenesis of prion diseases. |
| Ronald Griffith | VMPM | Food safety, including infection and contamination of pork and turkey meat with Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria, and E. coli species. His research interests also include Bovine Respiratory Disease and the immediate hypersensitivity associated with infection and vaccination against Haemophilus somnus and bovine respiratory syncytial virus. |
| Al Jergens | VCS | Dr. Jergens specializes in Small Animal Medicine. His primary research area is gastroenterology, including inflammatory bowel disease in canine and feline. |
| Doug Jones | Vet Path | Long-term goal is to understand how L. amazonensis is able to persist, at high parasite loads, in an immunocompetent host. |
| Anumantha Kanthasamy | BMS | Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying Parkinson's disease, Prion diseases and other related neurological disorders |
| Marian Kohut | Kinesiology | Research is focused on factors that modulate the immune response to viral infection or vaccines. In particular, my laboratory is currently studying how aging impacts the immune response to influenza viral infection and influenza vaccine. |
| Sue Lamont | Animal Science | Area of research is molecular genetics and immunogenetics of poultry, including the identification of molecular markers and genes controlling bacterial resistance, antibody kinetics, growth, body composition, skeletal integrity and other biological traits; physiological genetics; gene expression; and the major histocompatibility complex genes. |
| Dana LeVine | VCS | Research focuses on disorders of hyper- and hypocoagulability, especially immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). She is interested in the role platelets play in maintaining vascular integrity. |
| John Lippolis | NADC & Animal Science | Identification of factors associated with immune suppression and mastitis. |
| Crystal Loving | NADC & VMPM | Focus on pig health: interaction between host microbiota and intestinal immune status; immunometabolism as a biomarker and measure of nutritional need during health challenge; alternatives to antibiotics, including feed additives and vaccination. |
| Melha Mellata Lab Website |
FSHN |
Elucidate the pathogenesis of bacteria, including E. coli and Salmonella in hosts (e.g. chickens and mice). Develop and evaluate vaccines and probiotics to prevent bacterial infections and mitigate antibiotic resistance in poultry and humans. Evaluate role of microbiota in health and diseases. |
| Jodi McGill | VMPM |
Research focuses primarily on the Immune response to respiratory infections in cattle, neonatal immunology and nonconventional T cell biology. Current projects are focused on bovine respiratory syncytial virus infection, vaccine development and innate immune training. |
| Cathy Miller | VMPM | Molecular virology. Investigation of interactions that occur between segmented RNA viruses and their hosts in order to define better strategies for the use of reoviruses in cancer treatment, and develop improved vaccines for swine influenza. |
| Chris Minion | VMPM | Research focuses on molecular mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis, pathogenomics, proteomics, gene expression profiling and molecular vaccines. Current projects include the role of biofilms of E. coli O157:H7 in persistence in ruminants; gene expression profiling of Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli 0157:H7, and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae; and the development of novel vaccines against Yersinia pestis. |
| Balaji Narasimhan | CBE | Engineered biomaterials for vaccine and protein delivery; nanovaccines; mechanisms of adaptive immunity and adjuvanticity; biocompatibility; inflammation; nanoscale drug delivery devices |
| Marit Nilsen-Hamilton | BBMB | Regulation of gene expression by growth factors in animal cells Imaging of gene expression in vivo Applications of aptamers to medical technology |
| Tanja Opriessnig | VDPAM | Our reseach focus is on infectious and non-infectious disease of swine. |
| James Roth | VMPM | General area of interest is immunology of infectious diseases of cattle and swine. Specific interest in suppression of immune function, neutrophil function, vaccine development and evaluation. Current projects on bovine viral diarrhea virus, bovine respiratory syncitial virus, and nipah virus. |
| Max Rothschild | Animal Science | Areas of research are gene mapping; identification of genes controlling growth; reproduction and immunogenetics of swine; and new statistical methods to evaluate animals, gene identification in dogs and shrimp. |
| Randy Sacco | NADC& VMPM | Host immune response to bovine respiratory pathogens; regulation of cytokine signaling pathways; marine mammal immunology. |
| Ryan Smith | Entomology | Focus on host-parasite interactions between the mosquito vector and malaria parasites using a multi-disciplinary approach to examine how the mosquito innate immune system limits parasite infection. |
| Brett Sponseller | VMPM | Equine infectious anemia, virology, neonatal immunology. |
| Judy Stabel | NADC & VMPM | Johne's disease integrated program in research, education, and extension; genomic and immunological characteristics of Johne's disease; prevention and treatment of mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis (MAP) infection in mice by lactobacillus acidophilus NP51; cellular activation in different stages of infection with mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis in cattle. |
| Tyler Thacker | VMPM | |
| Chris Tuggle | Animal Science | Using genomics to understand how genes control biological processes at the molecular and cellular level. Primarily interested in how gene expression controls many aspects of growth, reproduction, and disease resistance. |
| Rudy Valentine | Kinesiology | Improving our understanding of bio-behavioral factors linking excess body fat and sedentary lifestyle with risk for cardiometabolic diseases. As both a basic and applied exercise physiologist, my work probes into mechanistic pathways and addresses public health issues associated with obesity, diabetes, and aging. To tackle these challenges, we use a variety of methods, including cell culture, rodent models, and clinical human studies. |
| David Verhoeven | VMPM |
Research centers on respiratory pathogens (both viral and bacterial) with an emphasis on RSV, influenza, parainfluenza, S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae. We focus specifically on lung pathogenesis, pulmonary immune responses, pediatric respiratory immunity (development and immunometabolism), therapeutics (RSV) and multiple vaccines. Research interests in divergent mucosal responses to systemic pathogens as well. |
| Mike Wannemuehler | VMPM | Investigates the interactions between host and bacterial pathogens with regards to mucosal immunity and inflammatory diseases of the bowel. He is particularly interested in the role normal flora has on development of mucosal immunity and mechanisms of antigen-specific T cell responses to regulate inflammation. |
| Auriel Willette | FSHN | The impact of obesity and metabolic dysfunction on structural and functional neuroimaging outcomes using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Our integrative neuroscience laboratory pairs neuroimaging data with cognitive performance and affect/emotion, body composition imaging, and physiological biomarkers (ELISA, RIA, proteomics). This research is also directed toward understanding the biological and neural underpinnings of neurological disorders, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. |
| Kyoung-Jin Yoon | VDPAM | Viral Diseases, PRRSV, Influenza, PCV2, Development of Diagnostic Tools |
| Qijing Zhang | VMPM | Major areas of expertise include bacteriology, molecular biology, antibiotic resistance, and pathogenic mechanisms of microbial infections. Primary interest is on food-born human pathogens of animal origin. His laboratory is using fundamental and contemporary approaches to study the ecology of Campylobacter jejuni in animal reservoirs, elucidate the mechanisms for the development, persistence, and transfer of antibiotic resistance, examine the molecular basis of pathogen-host interactions, and develop approaches to control infectious diseases. |