This dissertation explores a strategy to enhance antitumor immunity by delivering xenoantigens, non-self antigens readily recognized by the host immune system, directly i [...]

The goal of this thesis is to develop cytokine therapies to reduce inflammation, promote tissue repair, and restore lost function in neuroinflammatory disease. To this en [...]

As cancer treatment has advanced, there is an increasing number of cancer survivors. Cancer survivors face unique health challenges due to the long-term effects of agg [...]

Thyroid nodules are common and seen in over half the US population on autopsy. Though most thyroid nodules are benign, some do represent thyroid cancer and may be treated [...]

When a cell experiences environmental change, such as heat shock, its molecular landscape transforms. Many proteins reassemble into larger bodies called condensates. Also [...]

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a disease of insulin deficiency resulting from autoimmune destruction of the pancreatic β cells. Over a century after the discovery of insulin a [...]

The metabolic activity of microbial communities is essential for environmental and host health, influencing processes from bioremediation to host immune health. Given thi [...]

C. difficile, a spore-forming anaerobe, is a leading infectious cause of nosocomial diarrhea. The clinical outlook for C. difficile associated disease (CDAD) is highly va [...]

Despite improvements in medical treatments, the global burden of cancer has steadily increased over time. Breast cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed malignancy i [...]

Dopamine modulates corticostriatal plasticity in both the direct and indirect pathways of the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) loops. These gradual changes in cort [...]

The mouse model has been at the forefront of biomedical research and discovery for over a century, significantly advancing our understanding of disease. However, a fundam [...]

CUX1 is a dose-dependent transcription factor frequently mutated or deleted in high-risk myeloid neoplasms. We sought to understand the function of CUX1 in hematopoiesis. [...]

The rapid processing of visual information is essential for many human behaviors, such as playing sports and avoiding road hazards. These behaviors require the processing [...]

γδ T cells occupy a unique immunological niche, bridging innate and adaptive immune function within a single cellular compartment. The lineage-defining γδ T cell receptor [...]

Loss of all or part of chromosome 7 [-7/del(7q)] is recurrent in myeloid neoplasms and associated with a poor response to chemotherapy. Chromosome 7-encoded genes that dr [...]

In Chapter 1, we developed cell-free DNA (cfDNA) biomarkers. Standard-of-care for patients with localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer is neoadjuvant chemotherapy follo [...]

While single-cell "omics" have been critical for the study of human disease, most of these approaches require tissue dissociation, losing important spatial information. C [...]

Germinal center (GC) B cells segregate into three subsets that compartmentalize the antagonistic molecular programs of selection, proliferation, and somatic hypermutation [...]

Infected and malignant target-cells trigger Vγ9Vδ2 T cell activation by signaling pathogenic intracellular metabolite accumulation through Butyrophilin (BTN)-3A1 and BTN2 [...]

mRNA and protein clump—or condense—in response to cellular stress across the tree of eukaryotic life. Yet, despite decades of inquiry and its universal evolutionary conse [...]

Much remains unknown about the role of gut microbes in the development of a functional enteric nervous system (ENS), a network of neurons and glia within the gastrointest [...]

The mammalian gut microbiome is a powerful and clinically relevant system to study processes of microbial adaptation, as it is a highly dynamic ecosystem that plays a wid [...]

Potassium channels are membrane proteins critical for electrochemical regulation and function in almost all animal cells. In humans, many diseases are associated with mut [...]

Nicotine is the main addictive component in cigarettes. After chronic exposure to nicotine, neural adaptations in key brain areas lead to an aversive state upon withdrawa [...]

Despite the need for sentinel cells to respond to temporally evolving pathogenic and host signals, it is still unclear whether memory of previous signals shapes the respo [...]