Events
Dissertation: Nelli Sjöholm
Dissertation: Suvi Parikka
Opponent: docent Sirpa Sarlio, University of Helsinki
Dissertation: Anna Raunio
Opponent: professor Valtteri Kaasinen, University of Turku
HiLIFE webinar / Biomedicum Helsinki seminar: Amy Moran
Dr. Moran earned her PhD in Microbiology, Cancer Biology and Immunology from the University of Minnesota where she trained with Dr. Kristin Hogquist revealing how T cell receptor signal strength was critical for lineage fate decisions during development. She joined the department of Cell, Developmental & Cancer Biology at Oregon Health & Science University in May of 2017 where she is currently an Associate Professor.
Amy Moran's lab is broadly interested in understanding why T cells fail to control solid tumor cell growth and in the mechanisms of restoring T cell function. Her work aims to understand the immunological underpinnings of advanced prostate cancer with the goal of identifying novel mechanisms by which to enhance adaptive immune responses against tumor-restricted antigens.
Her research focuses on sex hormone regulation of T cell infiltration and function within mouse and human primary and metastatic tumors. To carry out these studies, she utilizes a variety of tools to interrogate these fundamental and translational questions. These include transgenic and chimeric mouse models, in vivo tumor modeling, in vitro cellular assays, monoclonal antibodies as cancer therapeutics, single cell transcriptomics, and flow sorting and cytometry. These tools shed light on the function/dysfunction of T cells in tumor bearing hosts and how sex hormones either enhance or suppress anti-tumor immunity.
Moran research group, Twitter: @Moran_Lab
Welcome to this exciting seminar!
Andrew Erickson and Jonas Bouhlal
Student Lunch:
Prior to her talk, graduate students are invited to a student lunch with Dr. Moran from 1100-1200. Dr. Moran enjoys meeting with students! Recent post-doctoral scholars recruited to her lab typically have a background in cancer immunology (wet and drylab), basic immunology, and prostate cancer. Space is limited, and lunch spots are allocated on the order in which emails are received. In order to attend, please email student host: Jonas Bouhlal (Jonas.bouhlal@helsinki.fi) to reserve your lunch spot. For those that register, Jonas will provide more details about the lunch by email.
Selected publications:
Androgen receptor activity in T cells limits checkpoint blockade efficacy. Xiangnan Guan , Fanny Polesso, Chaojie Wang, Archana Sehrawat, Reed M Hawkins , Susan E Murray , George V Thomas, Breanna Caruso, Reid F Thompson , Mary A Wood, Christina Hipfinger, Scott A Hammond, Julie N Graff , Zheng Xia, Amy E Moran. Nature. 2022 Jun;606(7915):791-796. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-04522-6. PMID: 35322234.
Androgen receptor blockade promotes response to BRAF/MEK-targeted therapy. Christopher P Vellano et al. Nature 2022 Jun;606(7915):797-803. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-04833-8. PMID: 35705814.
Restored Thymic Output after Androgen Blockade Participates in Antitumor Immunity. Fanny Polesso, Breanna Caruso, Scott A Hammond, Amy E Moran. J Immunol. 2023 Feb 15;210(4):496-503. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2200696. PMID: 36548468.
HiLIFE webinar / Viikki Monday Seminar: Jocelyne DiRuggiero
Dr. DiRuggiero is a faculty member in the Department of Biology and the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA. She obtained her Ph.D. at the University Claude Bernard Lyon I, France, before leaving for the US on a Fulbright fellowship. She did her postdoctoral work at the University of Maryland first with Dr. Rita Colwell and then with Dr. Frank Robb. She was a faculty in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology of the University of Maryland before moving to Johns Hopkins University. Her research focuses on the mechanisms of gene regulation at the post-transcriptional and translational levels in archaeal model systems. She also investigates the adaptive mechanisms that generate and maintain microbial diversity and affect ecosystem functioning in extreme environments. She has done extensive fieldwork in deserts and hypersaline sites worldwide, including the Atacama Desert in Chile. She is a member of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Astrophysical Sciences and the director of the Institute for Planets and Life at Johns Hopkins University and the Space Telescope Science Institute. She is a team member of the Extreme Microbiome Project and of the NSF-sponsored Research Coordination Network in Extreme Biophysics.
Welcome to this exciting seminar!
Selected publications:
Murray B., Ertekin E., Dailey M., Soulier N.T., Shen G., Bryant D.A., Perez-Fernandez C., and J. DiRuggiero. 2022. Adaptation of cyanobacteria to the endolithic light spectrum in hyper-arid deserts. Microorganisms 10:1198.
Gelsinger D.R., R. Reddy, K. Whittington, S. Debic and J. DiRuggiero. 2021. Post-transcriptional regulation of redox homeostasis by the small RNA SHOxi in haloarchaea. RNA Biol. 31:1-15.
Gelsinger D.R., E. Dallon, R. Reddy, F. Mohammad, A.R. Buskirk, and J. DiRuggiero. 2020. Ribosome profiling in archaea reveals leaderless translation, novel translational initiation sites, and ribosome pausing at single codon resolution. Nucleic Acids Res. 48:5201-516; selected as a Breakthrough Article by the Editors of Nucleic Acids Res.
Schmid A.K., Allers T., and J DiRuggiero. 2020. SnapShot: Biogeography and molecular adaptations of microbial extremophiles. Cell 180:818-818.e1.
Uritskiy G., A. Munn, M. Dailey, D.R. Gelsinger, S. Getsin, A. Davila, P. McCullough, J. Taylor and J. DiRuggiero. 2020. Environmental factors driving spatial heterogeneity in desert halophile microbial communities. Front. Microbiol. 11:578660.
Gelsinger, D. and J. DiRuggiero. 2018. Transcriptional landscape and regulatory roles of small non-coding RNAs in the oxidative stress response of the haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii. J Bacteriol 200:e00779-17.