Minna Ding

UMN MSTP student Minna Ding

Email: ding0172@umn.edu

Entering class: 2017

Education:  
University of California, Los Angeles
Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics major, Biomedical Research minor
B.S., 2016

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology Graduate Program
Ph.D., 2023

Honors and Awards:

  • Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award for Predoctoral MD/PhD Fellows, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 2021-2025

MSTP Student Governance:

  • Student Advisory Committee, 2018-20
  • Student Admissions and Recruitment Committee, 2020-23 (co-chair 2022-23)
  • Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, 2022-24

Thesis Advisor: Kirsten Nielsen, Ph.D.

Thesis Research

Understanding the adaptive host immune response to latent C. neoformans infections

Publications:

Jackson KM, Ding M, Nielsen K. Importance of Clinical Isolates in Cryptococcus neoformans Research. J Fungi (Basel). 2023 Mar 16;9(3):364. PMCID: PMC10056780

Ding M, Smith KD, Wiesner DL, Nielsen JN, Jackson KM, Nielsen K. Use of Clinical Isolates to Establish Criteria for a Mouse Model of Latent Cryptococcus neoformans Infection. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2022 Feb 2;11:804059. PMCID: PMC8847453

Altamirano S, Li Z, Fu MS, Ding M, Fulton SR, Yoder JM, Tran V, Nielsen K. The Cyclin Cln1 Controls Polyploid Titan Cell Formation following a Stress-Induced G 2 Arrest in Cryptococcus. 2021 Oct 26;12(5):e0250921. PMCID: PMC8510536

Work prior to the UMN MSTP:

Kaplan A, Lee MW, Wolf AJ, Limon JJ, Becker CA, Ding M, Murali R, Lee EY, Liu GY, Wong GCL, Underhill DM. Direct Antimicrobial Activity of IFN-β. J Immunol. 2017 May 15;198(10):4036-4045. PMCID: PMC5469413

Thesis Research

Understanding the adaptive host immune response to latent C. neoformans infections

Publications (pubmed)

Ding M, Smith KD, Wiesner DL, Nielsen JN, Jackson KM, Nielsen K. Use of Clinical Isolates to Establish Criteria for a Mouse Model of Latent Cryptococcus neoformans Infection. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2022 Feb 2;11:804059. PMCID: PMC8847453

Altamirano S, Li Z, Fu MS, Ding M, Fulton SR, Yoder JM, Tran V, Nielsen K. The Cyclin Cln1 Controls Polyploid Titan Cell Formation following a Stress-Induced G 2 Arrest in Cryptococcus. 2021 Oct 26;12(5):e0250921. PMCID: PMC8510536

Work prior to the UMN MSTP:

Kaplan A, Lee MW, Wolf AJ, Limon JJ, Becker CA, Ding M, Murali R, Lee EY, Liu GY, Wong GCL, Underhill DM. Direct Antimicrobial Activity of IFN-β. J Immunol. 2017 May 15;198(10):4036-4045. PMCID: PMC5469413