Department: Microbiology & Immunology

My laboratory studies the strategies pathogens utilize to colonize and subvert the epithelial barrier. We have focused on the epithelial junctions as a target for bacterial pathogens, since the cell-cell junctions serve as both a barrier to infection and also a major control site for epithelial function. In particular, we are interested in how the gastric pathogen Helicobater pylori may cause cancer by interfering with cell signaling at the epithelial junctions. We are also studying how variou..

Our laboratory investigates the pathogenesis of varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection, focusing on the functional roles of particular viral gene products in pathogenesis and virus-cell interactions in differentiated human cells in humans and in Scid-hu mouse models of VZV cell tropisms in vivo, and the immunobiology of VZV infections.

Research Associate in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology studying the microbial communities associated with humans and marine mammals.

Prof. Helen Blau's research area is regenerative medicine with a focus on stem cells. Her research on nuclear reprogramming and demonstrating the plasticity of cell fate using cell fusion is well known and her laboratory has also pioneered the design of biomaterials to mimic the in vivo microenvironment and direct stem cell fate. Current findings are leading to more efficient iPS generation, cell based therapies by dedifferentiation a la newts, and discovery of novel molecules and therapies.

Our lab uses chemical, biochemical, and cell biological methods to study protease function in human disease. Projects include: 1) Design and synthesis of novel chemical probes for each of the primary protease families. 2) Understanding the role of proteolysis in the life cycle of the human parasites, Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii. 3) Defining the specific functional roles of proteases during the process of tumorogenesis. 4) In vivo imaging of protease activity

We are intereseted in the interaction between the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii and its mammalian host. We use a combination of molecular and genetic tools to understand how this obligate intracellular parasite can invade almost any cell it encounters, how it co-opts a host cell once inside and how it evades the immune response to produce a life-long, persistent infection.

A systems biology approach to immunology. Integration of experimental immunology and omics-data to understanding the networks of cells, proteins and genes regulating immunity in mice and men.

Our research focuses on the identification of host genes that play critical roles in the pathogenesis of infectious agents including viruses. We use haploid genetic screens in human cells as an efficient approach to perform loss-of-function studies. Besides obtaining fundamental insights on how viruses hijack cellular processes and on host defense mechanisms, it may also facilitate the development of new therapeutic strategies.

We study the genetic networks controlled by regulatory RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), and currently focus on two complementary aspects of miRNA biology: (1) The roles of miRNAs in modulating the development, function, and pathogenesis of vertebrate immune systems and (2) the mechanisms by which these regulatory RNAs control gene expression.

Contribution of T cells to immunocompetence and autoimmunity; how the immune system clears infection, avoids autoimmunity and how infection impacts on the development of immune responses.

(+) RNA viruses (Hepatitis A, poliovirus), mechanisms of non-lytic spread

We develop and use the tools of molecular imaging to understand oncogenesis, reveal patterns of cell migration in immunosurveillance, monitor gene expression, visualize stem cell biology, and assess the distribution of pathogens in living animal models of human biology and disease. Biology doesn't occur in "a vacuum" or on coated plates--it occurs in the living body and that's were we look for biological patterns and responses to insult.

Molecular mechanisms of lymphocyte recognition and differentiation; molecular genetics and expression of T-cell receptor genes. Dynamics and functionality of specific T cell populations in human cancer.

My lab focuses on better understanding virus-host protein-protein interactions. We combine novel proteomic approaches, including high-fidelity microfluidics platforms, with molecular virology, biochemical, and functional genomic approaches for identification of host partners conservatively required by various viruses and development of broad-spectrum antiviral strategies with a high genetic barrier for resistance. We focus on Flaviviridae (currently, hepatitis C (HCV) and dengue) as well as HIV

Dr. Falkow is no longer taking students or postdoctoral fellows in his laboratory. Please contact either Denise Monack (dmonack@stanford.edu) or Manuel Amieva (amieva@stanford.edu).

My main research projects are focused on the investigation of the therapeutic effect of a novel prodrug-enzyme anticancer therapy and the development of a magnetic resonance imaging system that would enable the assessment of tumor metastasis in vivo, starting from a single cell. I have gained valuable experience in molecular cloning, protein manufacture and protein purification. My previous research included the pre-clinical testing of various different fluorescent reporters, anticancer agents ..

The goals of Dr. Galli's laboratory are to understand the regulation of mast cell and basophil development and the expression of mast cell and basophil function, and to develop and use genetic approaches to elucidate the roles of these cells in health and disease.

Dr. Glenn's primary interest is in molecular virology, with a strong emphasis on translating this knowledge into novel antiviral therapies. Other interests include exploitation of hepatic stem cells, engineered human liver tissues, and new biodefense antiviral strategies.

Molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis; determinants of protective immunity; host range and tissue tropism in liver and GI tract pathogenic viruses and studies of vaccines in people.

How do sporozoites, the product of sexual reproduction of Toxoplasma, co-opt host cell functions to initiate an infection in a new intermediate host? [Sporozoites express a very different arsenal of secreted proteins many of which are expected to serve as "effectors" that alter host cell function in ways beneficial to the invading parasite.]