Allies STEM Director,California Lutheran University

Education

 

2006-2010

BA, Biology, Art History, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA

2010-2014

PhD, Cellular & Molecular Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

2014-present

Penn-PORT fellow, Penn Vet Working Dog Center, University of Pennsylvania

  • Research mentor: Cynthia Otto, DVM, PhD; University of Pennsylvania

  • Teaching mentor: Tracie Polson, MS; Rutgers Camden

Research Topic: Ovarian Cancer Detection & Medical Alert Detection, Working Dog Physiology & Behavior

Our research at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center is multi-faceted, much like our dogs. My primary focus, however, is the Ovarian Cancer Detection study. In this study we are using a 3-pronged approach to investigate the potential volatile organic compound signature that may help us differentiate malignant ovarian cancer from that of healthy individuals with the goal of developing an electronic early screening test. In addition to the cancer detection study, my research is to address “what makes a good working dog.” In order to answer this question we use genetic, physiological, behavioral, and training tracking in order to help us predict early on what job may be best for each of their dogs as they develop here at the center.

Courses Taught

  • Biology 127- Principles of Biology; Rutgers University-Camden; Camden, NJ

Publications

Journal Publications 

Current Articles in preparation: 3

Peer-reviewed Articles:

  • Ramirez, L.A., Arango, T.A., Thompson, E., Naji, M., Tebas, P., Boyer, J.D. Chronic inflammation and high serum IP-10 levels decrease T-cell function in HIV-1 infected individuals on ART. J Leuk. Biol. 2014

  • Morrow, MP, Tebas, P, Yan, J, Ramirez, LA, Slager, A, Kraynyak, K, Diehl, M, Shah, D, Khan, A, Lee, J, Boyer, J, Kim, JJ, Sardesai, NY, Weiner, DB, Bagarazzi, ML. Synthetic Consensus HIV-1 DNA induces potent cellular immune responses and synthesis of granzyme B, perforin in HIV infected individuals. In Review

  • Ramirez, L.A., Daniel, A., Frank, I., Boyer, J.D., Tebas, P. Seroprotection of HIV-1 Infected Individualsafter H1N1Vaccination is Directly Associated with the Baseline frequency of Naïve and Inversely associated with Terminally Differentiated T-Cells. J. Infect. Dis. 2014.

Review Articles:

  • Ramirez, L.A., Arango, T., Boyer J. 2013. Therapeutic and prophylactic DNA vaccines for HIV-1. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy. 13: 563-573.

Contact info:

Lorenzo A. Ramirez, Ph.D. 
Postdoctoral Fellow 
Pet Vet Working Dog Center
University of Pennsylvania
3401 Grays Ferry Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19146

E-mail: ramirezl@vet.upenn.edu