Building Bridges in Leukocyte Biology Webinar Series |
Building Bridges in Leukocyte Biology Webinar SeriesThrough volunteer efforts, SLB will be offering a monthly series of innovative talks spanning a width breadth of interests related to the field. Registration is free for society members. Our next speaker is Savini Thrikawala from Clemson University who will present "Glucocorticoids suppress neutrophil control of Aspergillus hyphal growth in zebrafish larvae". Aspergillus fumigatus is one of the main fungal pathogens infecting patients undergoing prolonged glucocorticoid therapy. Anti-fungal therapeutics are often ineffective causing mortality in >50% of the infected immunosuppressed patients. In healthy individuals, the innate immune system can effectively clear this pathogen. However, the innate immune mechanisms that glucocorticoids suppress to increase host susceptibility to invasive aspergillosis are not fully known. Using a zebrafish larva-Aspergillus infection model, we find that exposure to dexamethasone—a commonly used glucocorticoid—significantly decreases host survival, predominantly by suppressing neutrophil-mediated control of tissue-destructive A. fumigatus hyphae. Through CRISPR/Cas9, I find that dexamethasone effect is mediated via the endogenous glucocorticoid receptor suppressing NF-κB activation. Current work is focused on the neutrophil extracellular killing mechanisms suppressed by dexamethasone and the NF-κB-regulated molecular targets. Collectively, we find that dexamethasone acts through the glucocorticoid receptor to suppress NF-κB-mediated neutrophil control of Aspergillus hyphae in zebrafish larvae. This webinar will be held on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2024 from 12-1pm eastern. Register for May 22nd, 2024Savini U. Thrikawala is a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Emily Rosowski’s lab at Clemson University, SC. Her research focuses on uncovering the innate immune mechanisms suppressed by immunosuppressive drugs making the host susceptible to opportunistic infections. Savini uses high-resolution microscopy of zebrafish larvae to address these questions. Her research interests stem from her baccalaureate work majoring in Parasitology and Immunology at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. During her Ph.D. at the University of Houston, TX, she started working with the larval zebrafish model. Savini envisions pursuing an independent research career to elucidate how man-made chemicals affect innate immunity and inflammation. Look for these talks lined up for the future...
If you would like to present at a future SLB Building Bridges webinar series, please contact Sofia De Oliveira at [email protected]. See below for the full Building Bridges Webinar Series Mission. Past Building Bridges Webinars available on-demand for SLB Members (login required):
Mission If you are a SLB member that fits the eligibility criteria and are interested in presenting at BBinLB webinar series, please submit the following materials to [email protected]: |