Date Completed: 2/10/08
Faculty Name: Allan Zajac
UAB Department: Microbiology
UAB School: Medicine and Dentistry
Campus Address: BBRB 446
Campus Zip: 2170
Telephone: 975-5644
Email Address: azajac@uab.edu
Fax: 975-5482
Research Program Area: Tumor Immunology
Project Title: Regulation of cell-mediated immune responses
Project Status: Already up-and-running
Proposed Start Date: Flexible
Proposed End Date: Flexible
Number of Weeks of Internship: up to 16
Number of Interns: 1
Expected Number of Work Hours Per Week: 37.5 hours
Expected Work Schedule for Intern: NOT very flexible, intern MUST be at work on certain days and times
Category of Research: Laboratory Research; work with mice
Cancer Research: Multiple Cancer Sites
Project Description: The immune system plays an important role in controlling both tumor outgrowth and viral infections. CD8 T cells are central components of the adaptive immune response and function to purge the host of pathogen-infected cells and control malignancies. Nevertheless, chronic viral infections do become established and tumor outgrowth does occur. The proposed project will involve determining why CD8 T cell responses are sometimes ineffective and fail to control tumor outgrowth. Summer interns will use state of the art techniques including MHC class I tetramer production and staining, as well as, single cell assays for effector functions to study cell mediated immunity in murine model systems. Areas to be investigated include 1) elucidating the roles of antigen load in activating, sustaining, and down regulating T cell responses, 2) investigating the roles of CD4 T cells and antibody responses in augmenting CD8 T cell activity, and 3) defining the qualitative differences between CD8 T cells isolated from different anatomical sites. In the long term, the data from these experiments will provide a rational framework for designing vaccines or therapeutic strategies to boost immune responses against chronic infections and malignances.
Intern's Anticipated Duties:
Duty 1: Sacrificing mice and preparing tissue suspensions
Duty 2: Cell surface and intracellular staining followed by flow cytometric analysis
Duty 3: General laboratory techniques including cell culture and some molecular biology
Preceptor will provide intern with access to the following: office or desk space; computer and printer; laboratory work bench space; supplies needed to complete project
Likelihood of authoring publications: Possible
Background, education, experience, or expertise preferred: Animal Research; Infetious Agents and Cancer; Microbiology; Just the willingness to learn; Immunology
This faculty member has been a CaRES Preceptor for three or more summers.
Intern 1: Shea Cheney