Allergy, Asthma and Immunology

During my fellowship in Allergy and Immunology at Washington University in St. Louis, I did research in the laboratory of Dr. John Atkinson. Dr. Atkinson is a Professor of Rheumatology at Washington University and a world expert in complement, a group of proteins that are a very important component of the immune system. These proteins are part of the innate immune system and play a very important role in fighting infections, particularly early on. They also have a role in modulating the immune response.

My research involved investigating a particular cell called a regulatory T cell (Treg) whose development can be influenced by the binding of complement to the cellular surface molecule CD46. Particularly we were interested in the role complement induced regulatory T cells have in viral infections in the lung and the development of asthma. It is believed that regulatory T cells are important in controlling inflammation in the lung as well as other parts of the body. Our hope is that better understanding how these cells work will allow the development of better treatments for allergic diseases such as asthma and viral infections in the lung. 

During medical school and residency I did research in the lab of Dr. Yie-Hwa Chang at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. We investigated a protein called Methionine Aminopeptidase type 2 (MetAP 2). This enzyme is present in all cells and is important in processing other proteins that are produced in the cell. It was discovered that an inhibitor of MetAP 2, called TNP-470, blocked angiogenesis or the development of new blood vessels. This is important because new blood cell development is critical for the growth of tumors in various types of cancers and inhibiting blood cell growth is an exciting new strategy for treating cancer.