|  Arturo Casadevall M.D., Ph.D.:
Principle Investigator
Professor, Department of Medicine (Infectious Diseases)
Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology
Chair , Department of Microbiology & Immunology
Leo and Julia Forchheimer Chair in Microbiology & Immunology.
Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases , Department of Medicine
Forchheimer Building, Room 411
Bronx, NY 10461
Tel: (718) 430-2811
Email: casadeva@aecom.yu.edu
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|  Antonio Nakouzi-Naranjo (Lab Manager): The general goal of my work is to understand the relationship of antibody structure and its biological function. My work involves the generation, characterization and molecular analysis of monoclonal antibodies to various antigens. These antigens include: GXM, Bacillus anthracis toxins and oligosaccharides.
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|  Susana Frases-Carvajal Ph.D. (PostDoc Fellow): I am studying the chemical composition, physical and immunological properties of the capsular polysaccharide in C.neoformans. I am characterizing these polysaccharides in order tounderstand how these assemble on the capsule. Additionally, I am identifying the polysaccharide epitopes recognized by protective antibodies and the contribution of capsular components to virulence.
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|  Andre Nicola M.D. (PostDoc Fellow): Cryptococcus neoformans can be found as a soil saprophyte or mammalian opportunistic pathogen; in both cases, it continuously interacts with specialized phagocytic cells such as soil amoebae or mammalian macrophages. The present aim of my work is to understand the harsh intracellular environment where C. neoformans thrives and the mechanisms it uses to survive there.
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|  Johanna Rivera Ph.D. (PostDoc Fellow): I am currently generating and characterizing monoclonal antibodies(mAbs) to the poly (g-D-glutamic acid) (g DPGA) capsule of Bacillus anthracis. The deliberate contamination of the mail with Bacillus anthracis spores created an urgent need to re-evaluate the current vaccine used for treatment of anthrax and expand the immunity conferred by available anthrax vaccines. The mAbs generated could be used to gain a better understanding of the potential of humoral immunity to protect by targeting the capsule, for passive antibody therapy and to gain greater insight into the relationship between antibody structure and function for an unusual antigen composed of polymerized D-amino acids. We anticipate that the studies will produce new information on basic antibody structures and gene usage that is of fundamental importance for vaccine design and the treatment of anthrax.
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|  Emma Robertson Ph.D. (PostDoc Fellow): Cryptococcus neoformans has the capacity to survive and replicate within the phagolysosome of macrophage cells. After multiplying, multiple fungal cells have been observed to be released, a process termed extrusion, from the immune cell and continue to survive. It has also been observed that this process of extrusion often involves a giant phagosome, suggesting that homotypic phagosome fusion occurs prior to extrusion. My research focuses on the identification of genes that may be involved in phagosome fusion, and determining whether silencing these genes prevents subsequent extrusion.
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|  Nareen Abboud (Graduate Student): Bacillus anthracis protective antigen (PA) is part of the anthrax toxin and functions by delivering the lethal and edema toxins into the cytoplasm of the host cell. There is increasing evidence that PA is antigenically complex and can elicit both protective and non-protective antibodies. My goal is to generate and express PA fragments suitable for mapping antibody epitopes and to determine the immunogenicity of the various PA regions. The latter will help to establish whether different domains vary in the ability to elicit protective antibody responses.
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|  Patricia Andrade (Graduate Student): Quorum sensing in Cryptococcus neoformans: The objective of my work is to study Quorum Sensing (QS) in Cryptococcus neoformans. QS is a mechanism of communication between microbial cells, mediated by molecules (QSM) that are accumulated during cell growth. When the QSMs reach a certain threshold concentration, they induce the entire population to cooperate in behaviors such as bioluminescence, antibiotic production, sporulation, biofilm formation and virulence. QS is well known in bacteria, but eukaryotic QS was unknown until the recent discovery of QSMs in Candida albicans. We have thus decided to investigate the presence of cell density dependent behavior in the pathogenic encapsulated fungus Cryptococcus neoformans and to check the possible effects of cell-density molecules in growth, virulence and host-pathogen interactions.
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|  Cara J. Chrisman (Graduate Student): The mechanism of acquiring and maintaining virulence by Cryptococcus neoformans (Cn) is unknown. Acanthamoebae are free-living soil amoeba known to interact with Cn in the environment. The goal of this work is to characterize the interaction between these two species and relate this to the emergence of fungal virulence.
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|  Magdia De Jesus (Graduate Student): Cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated pathogenic yeast that uses its polysaccharide capsule to evade the immune system. My current research focuses on the capsular components GalXM and Mannoproteins. Currently, I am generating antibodies by phage display and standard hybridoma technology against these capsular components. These tools will provide further information about GalXM's and Mannoproteins location within the capsular polysaccharide and how do these contribute to virulence.
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|  Alena Janda (Graduate Student MSTP): Earlier studies done in our lab showed that the binding affinities of each isotype of murine 3E5 gamma antibodies against GXM differ even though their variable regions were identical.My project is an attempt to crystallize the different isotypes in order to understand the structural effects of the constant regions on antigen specificity.
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|  Carolyn Saylor (Graduate Student MSTP):My research focuses on the effects of antibody on the immune response to Cryptococcus neoformans. While it is known that T cells influence humoral immunity, it is not as well understood how antibodies can influence cell-mediated immunity. Normally a host response to C. neoformans infection is carried out by T cells, and antibody plays a smaller role. However, previous research in the lab has shown that pretreatment with antibody can have profound effects on the course of a subsequent infection in mice. I would like to elucidate how different subclasses of GXM-specific antibodies can positively or negatively influence the course of infection.
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|  Stuart Chaskes (Visiting Scientist): My major research interest is to correlate metabolic differences in the tryptophan pathway to the 5 serological groups of Cryptoccocus neoformans (A,B,C,D,and AD).The goal is to purify and identify several unique tryptophan derived pigments. We would also like to determine if the pigments play a role in the virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans.
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| A Blast to the Past ...... | |
| Outside the Lab Fun! | |
| Remembering the Good Old Times! | |
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For more information about this site, please contact Magdia De Jesus
Credit
File Last Updated:
Wednesday, December 03, 2008 | |
