Michael Abt
B.S. Biology, Loyola College of Maryland, 2006
Thesis Advisor: David Artis
Research Interests: Investigating the role of the intestinal microbiota in shaping the immune response to infection
Matriculated: 2006
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Emily Chen
emilyjc@mail.med.upenn.edu
B.S. Biology, Haverford College, 2005
Thesis Advisor: Janis Burkhardt
Matriculated: 2007
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Anthony Chi
B.S. Biochemistry, UCLA, 2002
Thesis Advisor: Avinash Bhandoola
Research Interests: cellular and molecular pathways in T lineage development
Publication:
Untangling the T branch of the hematopoiesis tree.
Chi AW, Bell JJ, Zlotoff DA, Bhandoola A.
Curr Opin Immunol. 2009 Mar 5. [Epub ahead of print]
Matriculated: 2004
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Ellen De Obaldia
mdeobald@mail.med.upenn.edu
B.A. Biology, Harvard University, June 2008
Current Rotation: Nancy Speck
Research interests: Tolerance and autoimmunity, hematopoiesis
Publications:
Melero-Martin JM, De Obaldia ME, Kang SY, Khan ZA, Yuan L, Oettgen P,
Bischoff J. Engineering robust and functional vascular networks in
vivo with human adult and cord blood-derived progenitor cells.
Circulation Research. 2008 Jul 18;103(2):194-202.
Weir MR, Neutel JM, Bhaumik A, De Obaldia ME, Lapuerta P. The efficacy
and safety of initial use of irbesartan/hydrochlorothiazide fixed-dose
combination in hypertensive patients with and without high
cardiovascular risk. J Clinical Hypertension (Greenwich). 2007
Dec;9(12 Suppl 5):23-30.
Zhang Y, Rassa JC, De Obaldia ME, Albritton LM, Ross SR.
Identification of the receptor binding domain of the mouse mammary
tumor virus envelope protein. J Virology. 2003 Oct;77(19):10468-78.
Matriculated: 2008
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Carolyn Gray
cagray@mail.med.upenn.edu
B.S. Biology, The College of New Jersey 2008
Current Rotation: Michael May
Matriculated: 2008
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Scott Gordon
B.S. Biology, Haverford College 2006
Thesis Advisor: Steven Reiner
Research interests: Immune memory, cell fate decisions
Selected Publications:
Intlekofer, A.M., A. Banerjee, N. Takemoto, S.M. Gordon, C.S. Dejong, H. Shin, C.A. Hunter, E.J. Wherry, T. Lindsten, S.L. Reiner. 2008. Anomalous type 17 response to viral infection by CD8+ T cells lacking T-bet and eomesodermin. Science, 321(5887):408-11.
Matriculated: 2008
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Danielle Haney
dhaney2@mail.med.upenn.edu
B.S. Biology, Xavier University of Louisiana 2006
Thesis Advisor: Mike Betts
Research Interests: CD8 T cell Response to Chronic Viral Infections
Matriculated: 2006
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Rebecca May
slota@mail.med.upenn.edu
B.S. Physiology, UCLA, 2003
Current Rotation Advisor: Gary Koretzky
Research Interests: Cell signaling
Matriculated: 2008
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Peter Morawski
B.A. Biology, La Salle University 2008
Current Rotation Advisor: Paula Oliver
Research Interests: Antigen processing & presentation, exosomes, autoimmunity
Matriculated: 2008
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Shaun O'Brien
obriens@mail.med.upenn.edu
B.A. Molecular and Cell Biology, UC Berkeley, 2004
Current Rotation Advisor: Gary Koretzky
Reserach Interests:T cells signaling/activation in context of disease
Publications:
Kavanagh B. et al., "CTLA4 blockade expands FoxP3+ regulatory and activated effector CD4+ T cells in a dose-dependent fashion." Blood. 2008 Aug 15;112(4):1175-83. Epub 2008 Jun 3.
Social interests:baseball, playing softball and touring historical sites in Philadelphia
Matriculated: 2008
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Aisling O'Hara
oharaa@mail.med.upenn.edu
M.S. Biotechnology, Johns Hopkins University , 2004
B.S. Biology, Allegheny College, 1999
Thesis Advisor: Chris Hunter
Research Interests: T cell differentiation
Matriculated: 2007
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Soyoung Oh
B.A. Molecular Biology, Princeton University, 2003
Thesis Advisor: Andrew J. Caton
Research Interests: Impact of T cell receptor specificity on the in vivo function of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells
Selected Publications:
Rankin AL, Reed AJ, Oh S, Picca CC, Guay HM, Larkin III J, Panarey L, Aitken MK, Koeberlein B, Lipsky PE, Tomaszewski JE, Naji A, and Caton AJ. 2008. CD4+ T cells recognizing a single self-peptide expressed by antigen presenting cells induce spontaneous autoimmune arthritis. J Immunol.
Matriculated: 2004
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Michael Oropallo
mant@mail.med.upenn.edu
B.S., Biology The College of New Jersey, 2006
Thesis Advisor: Mike Cancro
Research Interests: Immune Senescence B cell Homeostasis
Matriculated: 2007
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Hilda Ramon
hildar@mail.med.upenn.edu
B.S. Biology, Florida International University
Thesis Advisor: Paula Oliver
Research Interests: My research interests involve T cell tolerance and autoimmunity. As part of my thesis project, I am studying the function of Ndfip1, an adaptor protein for the E3 ligase Itch, in T cell function, in a model of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Publications:
Cbl- and Nedd4-family ubiquitin ligases: balancing tolerance and immunity.
Gay DL, Ram—n H, Oliver PM.
Immunol Res. 2008;42(1-3):51-64. Review.
Allograft rejection mediated by memory T cells is resistant to regulation.
Yang J, Brook MO, Carvalho-Gaspar M, Zhang J, Ramon HE, Sayegh MH, Wood KJ, Turka LA, Jones ND.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Dec 11;104(50):19954-9.
T cell-mediated activation and regulation of anti-chromatin B cells.
Pag‡n AJ, Ram—n HE, Hondowicz BD, Erikson J.
Autoimmun Rev. 2006 Jul;5(6):373-6. Review.
Matriculated: 2004
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Natalia Ramos-Herndandez
rnatalia@mail.med.upenn.edu
B.S. Industrial Biotechnology, University of Puerto Rico, 2008
Current Rotation Advisor: Paula Oliver
Matriculated: 2008
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Keri Beth Sanborn
keri@mail.med.upenn.edu
B.S. Biology, Boston College, 2006
Thesis Advisor: Jordan Orange
Research Interests: I am currently studying the role and regulation of myosin IIA in NK cell cytotoxicity.
Publications:
Sanborn KB, Rak GD, Maru SY, Demers K, Difeo A, Martignetti JA, Betts MR, Favier R, Banerjee PP, Orange JS. Myosin IIA associates with NK cell lytic granules to enable their interaction with F-actin and function at the immunological synapse. The Journal of Immunology, 2009, in revision.
Makedonas G, Banerjee PP, Pandey R, Hersperger AR, Sanborn KB, Hardy GAD, Orange JS, Betts MR. Rapid Up-Regulation and Granule-Independent Transport of Perforin to the Immunological Synapse Define a Novel Mechanism of Antigen-Specific CD8+ T Cell Cytotoxic Activity. The Journal of Immunology, 2009, in press.
Matriculated: 2006
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Greg Sonnenberg
gfield@mail.med.upenn.edu
The State University of New York at Buffalo, 2007
Thesis Adviser: David Artis
Research Interests: Mucosal immunology, T helper 17 cells, and, IL-22
Matriculated: 2007
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Natalie Steinel
B.S. Cell and Molecular Biology & B.A. French, University of Texas 2003
Current Rotation Advisor: Steven Reiner
Publications:
Hewitt SL, Yin B, Ji Y, Chaumeil J, Marszalek K, Tenthorey J, Salvagiotto G, Steinel N, Ramsey LB, Ghysdael J, Farrar MA, Sleckman BP, Schatz DG, Busslinger M, Bassing CH, Skok JA. RAG-1 and ATM coordinate monoallelic recombination and nuclear positioning of immunoglobulin loci. Nat Immunol. 2009 May 17. [Epub ahead of print]
Scholz JL, Crowley JE, Tomayko MM, Steinel N, O'Neill PJ, Quinn WJ 3rd, Goenka R, Miller JP, Cho YH, Long V, Ward C, Migone TS, Shlomchik MJ, Cancro MP. BLyS inhibition eliminates primary B cells but leaves natural and acquired humoral immunity intact. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Oct 7;105(40):15517-22
Tomayko MM, Anderson SM, Brayton CE, Sadanand S, Steinel NC, Behrens TW, Shlomchik MJ. Systematic comparison of gene expression between murine memory and naive B cells demonstrates that memory B cells have unique signaling capabilities. J Immunol. 2008 Jul 1;181(1):27-38.
Matriculated: 2008
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Dan Zlotoff
zlotoff@mail.med.upenn.edu
B.A. Biology, Harvard 2005
Thesis Advisor: Avinash Bhandoola
Research Interests: Early T cell development. We are investigating the cells that home to the thymus from the bone marrow to give rise to thymocytes.
Publications: Zlotoff DA, Schwarz BA, Bhandoola A. The long road to the thymus: the generation, mobilization, and circulation of T-cell progenitors in mouse and man. Seminars in Immunopathology. 2008 Dec;30(4):371-82. PMCID: 18925398.
Matriculated: 2007