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Selected Publications
1. Thoma-Uszynski S, Stenger S, Takeuchi O, Ochoa MT, Sieling PA, Barnes, PF, Röllinghoff, Bölcskei PL, Wagner M, Akira S, Norgard MV, Belisle JT, Godowski PJ, Bloom BR, Modlin RL. Induction of direct antimicrobial activity through mammalian Toll-like receptors. Science 291:1544-1547, 2001.
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2. Brightbill HD, Libraty DH, Krutzik SR, Yang RB, Belisle JT, Bleharski JR, Maitland M, Norgard MV, Plevy SE, Smale ST, Brennan PJ, Bloom BR, Godowski PJ, Modlin RL. Host defense mechanisms triggered by microbial lipoproteins through Toll-like receptors. Science 285:732-736, 2001.
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3.Stenger S, Hanson DA, Teitelbaum RT, Dewan P, Niazi KR, Froelich CJ, Ganz T, Thoma-Uszynski S, Meliàn A, Bogdan C, Porcelli SA, Bloom BR, Krensky AM, Modlin RL. An antimicrobial activity of cytolytic T cells mediated by granulysin. Science 282:121-125, 1998.
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Research Interest:
Infectious disease poses a major health problem worldwide. Essential to control of these diseases is the elucidation of immune mechanisms which result in resistance versus susceptibility to infection. Our laboratory's focus is the identification of novel mechanisms by which the innate and adaptive immune system combat microbial pathogens. Mammalian Toll-like receptors comprise part of the innate response. Our group studies the microbial ligands that activate Toll-like receptors and the functional consequence of Toll activation.
We are interested in the mechanism by which Toll activation influences the adaptive T cell response, the mechanisms by which Toll activation leads to direct antimicrobial pathways and role of Toll-like receptors in causing tissue injury in disease. The adaptive T cell response recognizes peptide antigens in the context of MHC molecules and lipid antigens presented by CD1 molecules. We are identifying novel peptide and lipid antigens that are immunodominant in the human immune response to infection as well as mechanisms by which these T cells can directly kill the foreign invader. Using the knowledge of these antigen presentation pathways we are engineering new vaccine strategies against these pathogens. It is hoped that the insights obtained from these studies will lead to better treatments and prevention of infectious diseases in humans.
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