Research
As a human immunology lab, we use blood from healthy donors to isolate immune cells and study their interactions in the context of HIV infection.
Flow Cytometry
Flow cytometry is used to determine what cells are HIV infected in culture and how cytolytic cells respond to these infected cells. This technique paints a picture of what is happening during cell-cell interactions in vitro.
Confocal Microscopy
Confocal microscopy with fixed cells is used for high resolution characterization of HIV-infected cell morphology and co-localization of HIV proteins with cell host proteins. In addition, live cell microscopy is used to track the interactions between cytolytic cells and HIV-infected targets in real time.Â
Imaging Flow Cytometry
A powerful hybrid between flow cytometry and microscopy, imaging flow cytometry allows for the characterization of a suspension culture using antibodies for flow cytometry and capturing images of each object. We use this technique to characterize the formation of immunological synapses on a population-based level, track the internalization of surface receptors, including the HIV envelope, and study signaling events in cytolytic cells.
Projects
Characterizing NK cell receptor-ligand pairs on HIV-infected CD4+ T cells and macrophages
Identifying phenotypic signatures of macrophage resistance to CTL and NK cell killing
Screening for natural inhibitors of perforin/granzymes
For additional projects involving collaborators, please see the "Collaborations" tab