Southern California Eukaryotic Pathogen Symposium

2024 SCEP SYMPOSIUM

2024 SCEP Speakers

 
Sarah Gaffen
 

Keynote Speaker

Sarah Gaffen, PhD., Gerald P. Rodnan Professor

President, International Cytokine & Interferon Society (ICIS)
Director of Basic Rheumatology Research
Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology
University of Pittsburgh

 

 

“All Things Great & Seventeen: At the Crossroads of IL-17 signaling in autoimmunity versus host defense”

 

Biography
Dr. Sarah Gaffen is the Gerald P. Rodnan Endowed Professor in the Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Gaffen did her undergraduate training at Carnegie Mellon University and received her PhD from The University of California, Berkeley under the guidance of National Academy of Science member Dr. Marian Koshland. Dr. Gaffen did postdoctoral work at UC San Francisco and was on the faculty at SUNY Buffalo from 1999-2008, where she initiated her work on defining mechanisms of signaling by the then-enigmatic IL-17 receptor cytokine family. Since 2008 she has been at the University of Pittsburgh, and was honored with the Gerald P. Rodnan Chair in 2015. Dr. Gaffen is one of the pioneers of studies of the signaling functions and structural features of the IL-17 receptor. The Gaffen Lab also works on understanding the basis for immunity to infections and autoimmunity, with a major interest in the mechanisms that underlie oral mucosal immunity and antifungal host defense. Her group was the first to demonstrate a role for IL-17 pathways in immunity to mucosal Candida albicans infections. Additionally, her recent work has uncovered important post-transcriptional pathways that determine IL-17 signaling cascades. Dr. Gaffen has published over 140 papers and Chaired the standing NIH study section “Immunity and Host Defense.” She was awarded the 2020 BioLegend/William E. Paul Award from the International Cytokine & Interferon Society and was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the AAAS. Dr. Gaffen has been continually funded by NIH since 2001, and has mentored 13 students to completion of a PhD. Her trainees work all over the world in both academia and industry.
 
Research Interests
T cell derived cytokines are critical for mediating host defense against infectious disease, but they also mediate disease pathology in autoimmunity. A subset of CD4+ T cells, known as "Th17 cells" based on production of the cytokine IL-17, plays a key role in driving autoimmunity. Conversely, IL-17 and Th17 cells play important roles in fungal immunity, particularly in protection against opportunistic mucosal infections caused by the commensal yeast Candida albicans, first shown by Dr. Gaffen's group. IL-17 and its receptor are unique in structure and sequence from other known cytokines, and the Gaffen lab has been a leader in studying signaling pathways mediated by this this novel family of cytokines. In addition, antibodies against IL-17 and its receptor were recently approved by the FDA to treat autoimmune conditions, particularly psoriasis
The Gaffen lab studies three aspects of IL-17/Th17 cell biology: (1) mechanisms of molecular signal transduction mediated by IL-17 and its receptor (2) means by which IL-17 mediates host defense against mucosal Candida albicans fungal infections, and (3) mechanisms by which dysregulated IL-17/Th17 cells drive pathogenesis of autoimmunity.

Gaffen Lab 

Kent Hill

SCEP speaker

Kent Hill, PhD., Professor

Microbiology, Immunology, & Molecular Genetics
University of Los Angeles, California

 

"Dynein Dragon Boat: Atomic Structure of the Trypanosome Axoneme Illuminates Mechanism of Flagellar Beating in Eukaryotes"

 
 
Biography
Professor, Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics Member, Biochemistry, Biophysics & Structural Biology GPB Home Area, California NanoSystems Institute, Cell & Developmental Biology GPB Home Area, Immunity, Microbes & Molecular Pathogenesis GPB Home Area, Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics.
 

 

Hill Faculty Profile and Publications

The 14th annual Southern California Eukaryotic pathogen Symposium

Agenda

Wednesday, November 20, 2024
UC Riverside - SOM ED-II building, room 205
Symposium schedule
Schedule subject to change 

14th annual SCEP symposium abstract booklet

8:30-9am
Breakfast and Registration (SOM Education Building II, room 205, UCR)
Poster set-up (SOM Education Building II – Outdoor Terrace) 
9-9:10am
Welcome to the 14th annual SCEP symposium – Opening remarks
Karine Le Roch, PhD., Director Center for Infectious Disease and Vector Research, UC Riverside
9:10-9:45am
SCEP Morning Speaker, introduced by Karine Le Roch, PhD.
Kent Hill, PhD., Professor, Microbiology, Immunology, & Molecular Genetics, University of Los Angeles, California
"Dynein Dragon Boat: Atomic Structure of the Trypanosome Axoneme Illuminates Mechanism of Flagellar Beating in Eukaryotes"
9:45-10am
Morning session: Chair: Dr. Rebecca Ruggiero-Ruff, Ph.D., Post-doctoral Fellow, UC Riverside
 
Jennell Jennett, Nair Lab, Biomedical Sciences, UCR School of Medicine 
"Helminth-Induced Type 2 Immune Responses Protect Against Diet-Induced Obesity via RELMα"
10-10:15am
Christina Hueschen, PhD., Cell and Developmental Biology, UCSD 
"Actin self-organization in gliding Toxoplasma gondii"
10:15-10:30am
Shinhye Chloe Park, Koshy Lab, University of Arizona 
"The Role of a Hypothetical Protein (TGME49_207210) in Toxoplasma gondii Stage Conversion and Persistence"
10:30-10:45am
Maura C Ruyechan, Ralston Lab, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UC Davis
"Trogocytosis of human cells by Entamoeba histolytica enables protection from human serum complement lysis"
10:45-10:55am
10 minute stretch break
10:55-11:10am
Johann Tailor, Riestra Lab, Dept. of Biology, San Diego State University
"An Immunological Wildfire: Trichomonas vaginalis triggers pyroptosis in ectocervical cells"
11:10-11:25am
Ruhi Patel, PhD., Hallem Lab, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, UCLA 
"Dopamine signaling drives skin invasion by human-parasitic nematodes"
11:25-11:30am
Teaser talks

 

Arrmund Neal, Le Roch Lab, UCR
"Determining the role of PfCRWN-L protein in regulating chromatin structure in the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum"
11:30-11:35am
Arzu Ulu, Wilson Lab, UCR
"Factors contributing to bradyzoite-to-bradyzoite replication following Toxoplasma gondii cyst recrudescence in murine primary astrocytes"
11:35-11:40am
Kyle Anesko, Dillman & Nair, Environmental Toxicology, UCR, Riverside
"Exploring novel immunomodulatory pathways between parasitic nematode excretory/secretory proteins and mammalian host-parasite interactions"
11:40-11:45am
Saarang Kashyap, Zhou Lab, MIMG, University of California, Los Angeles
"Structures of Native Doublet Microtubules from Trichomonas vaginalis Reveal Parasite-Specific Proteins"
11:45am-12:00pm
Break and Squeeze up!
12:00-1:00pm
Keynote Speaker, introduced by Meera Nair, PhD. 

 

Sarah L. Gaffen, PhD., Gerald P. Rodnan Professor, Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, University of Pittsburgh
"All Things Great and Seventeen: At the Crossroads of IL-17 Signaling in Fungal Immunity and Beyond"
1:00-2:30pm
Lunch and Poster Viewing (SOM educational Building - outdoor terrace) 
2:30-2:45pm
Afternoon session: Chair, Karine Le Roch, PhD. 

 

Isabel Romero, Mercer lab, Biological Sciences Department and Cal Poly Pomona 
"Investigating the role of antibodies and complement in neutrophil trogocytic killing of Trichomonas vaginalis"
2:45-3:00pm
Brecken Enright, Schulz Lab, Harvey Mudd College department of Biology
"Investigating the importance of chromatin interacting proteins in mediating transcription of procyclin genes during differentiation of African trypanosomes from the bloodstream to the procyclic form"
3:00-3:15pm
Juliette Uy, Bradley Lab, Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles
"Toxoplasma IMC1 is a central component of the IMC network and plays critical roles in parasite morphology, replication, and infectivity"
3:15-3:30pm
Angelica Lopez, Jimenez Lab, Department of Biological Science, California State University, Fullerton
"Study of an orphan kinesin reveals connections between the contractile vacuole and flagellar structures in Trypanosoma cruzi"
3:30-3:45pm
Katherine Yanes, Lodoen Lab, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine
"Toxoplasma gondii Drives Immune Cell Recruitment to Amyloid Plaques in Alzheimer’s Mice"
3:45-4:00pm
Lauren Wong, Buckley Lab, Biological Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, California
"The role of the Peripheral Cannabinoid Receptor on Neutrophil Egression into the Vagina"
4:00-4:15pm
Marco Martinez, Lima Lab, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
"Investigating the role of the innate immune system in entrapping and neutralizing Toxoplasma gondii by neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs)"
4:15-6:00pm
Drinks and Nibbles (SOM Education building II - outdoor terrace) 
Poster presentations (odd numbers 4:15- 4:45pm; even numbers 4:45-5:15pm) Announcement of abstract awards and networking (5:15-6:00pm)