Seminars
MICaB Invited Speaker Seminar Series
Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology (MICaB) Seminar Series
Spring 2025
Mondays, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
All seminars will be held in hybrid format unless otherwise noted in the weekly announcement:
1-125 Cancer & Cardiovascular Research Building (CCRB) and also available via
Recurring Zoom link: https://z.umn.edu/MICaBSeminar
January 13
“Barcodes, bottlenecks and influenza A virus population dynamics”
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University
Host: Ryan Langlois, PhD ([email protected])
January 27
“Bacterial adaptation across environments”
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University
Host: Jannell Bazurto, PhD ([email protected])
February 3
“Chasing antigen-specific CD4+ T cells”
Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Center for Immunology, UMN
Host: Jesse Williams, PhD ([email protected])
February 10
Cancelled
February 17
“Immunomodulatory cancer-associated fibroblasts influence Treg cell dynamics in lung cancer”
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University
Host: Michael Farrar, PhD ([email protected])
February 24
“Advancing healthy immune aging in people living with HIV”
Department of Immunology in Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
Host: Nichole Klatt, PhD ([email protected])
March 3
“CD4+ T stem cells in cardiovascular inflammation”
Departments of Immunology and Medicine, Mayo Clinic
Host: Jesse Williams, PhD ([email protected])
March 10
“Innate immune control of the pathogenesis of malaria”
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Utah
Host: Kristina Burrack, PhD ([email protected])
March 17
“The biology and ontogeny of alveolar macrophages across the age spectrum"
Texas Biomedical Research Institute
Host: Monica Campo ([email protected])
March 24
“Two Tales of Serendipity about HIV”
Department, Vanderbilt University
Host: Lou Mansky, PhD ([email protected])
March 31
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dartmouth University
Host: David Masopust, PhD ([email protected])
April 7
Open – Speaker TBA
April 14
“The Role of Linked Recognition in Alloimmunization to Tansfused RBCs and the B cell Precursor Frequency Hypothesis"
Department of Experimental Pathology, University of Virginia
Host: Vaiva Vezys, PhD ([email protected])
April 21
“Evolutionary constraints on mosquito-borne alphaviruses and impacts on transmission dynamics, emergence, and vaccine development”
Department, University of California, Davis
Host: Matt Aliota, PhD ([email protected])
April 28
“The many enigmas of gut IgA"
Department of Medicine and Center for Human Immunobiology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine
Host: Ryan Nelson, PhD ([email protected])
Student Seminar Series
Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology Student Seminar Series
Spring Semester 2025
THURSDAYS, Noon-1:00 p.m.
Hybrid seminar held in 1-110 LRB/MTRF and available by livestream ZOOM LINK
Meeting ID: 946 2957 3353
Passcode: ZGvq05
JANUARY 23
Joel Pardo, “Does APOBEC3B Determine Breast Cancer Treatment Resistance?”
Advisor: Doug Yee
Student Host: Adrianna Rivera-León
Faculty Reviewers: Peter Southern, Ryan Nelson, Kim Mansky
JANUARY 30
Shun-Qing (Simon) Liang, Ph.D., Department of Medicine, MICaB Graduate Faculty Candidate
“High-throughput functional analysis of CTNNB1-related mutations in liver cancer”
Faculty Advocates: David Largaespada and Branden Moriarity
FEBRUARY 6
Declan Schroeder, Ph.D., Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, MICaB Graduate Faculty Candidate
“Insights gained from non-model virus systems: an exploration into giant algal viruses and new honey bee infection dynamics”
Faculty Advocate: Kathleen Boris-Lawrie
FEBRUARY 13
Michael Gale, Jr., Ph.D., Department of Microbiology and Immunology, MICaB Graduate Faculty Candidate
"Research and training in innate immunity and virus infection"
Faculty Advocate: Wade Bresnahan
FEBRUARY 20
CANCELLED
FEBRUARY 27
Michael Chang, “Elucidating Mac-AIR mediated endothelial activation and proliferation during early atherosclerotic plaque formation”
Advisor: Jesse Williams
Perianne Smith, “Understanding the accumulation of CD8 T cells at the maternal fetal interface”
Advisor: Nathan Schuldt, Co-Advisor: Steve Jameson
Student Host: Celeste Phillips
Faculty Reviewers: Bruno Lima, Bruce Blazar, Masato Yamamoto
MARCH 6
Joseph Guter, “Resident memory T cells become systemically distributed following acute infection”
Advisor: Dave Masopust
Jax Dunning, “Assessing Sensing and Alarm of T Resident Memory Cells in Non-Human Primate Lymph Nodes”
Advisor: Dave Masopust
Student Host: Keval Parikh
Faculty Reviewers: Yuying Liang, Tyler Bold, Walt Low
MARCH 13- NO SEMINAR, SPRING BREAK
MARCH 20
Mattie Soundararajan, “Nitrogen fixation for life beyond Earth”
Advisor: Katie Fixen
Trevor Tankersley, “The Role of NK Markers on Memory and Effector CD8 T cells: A Tale of Two Receptors”
Advisor: Sara Hamilton Hart
Student Host: Xunhe Li
Faculty Reviewers: Jeff Gralnick, Kristina Burrack, Hai-Dang Nguyen
MARCH 27
Dani Vasquez Rico “Elucidating the formaldehyde stress response in M. extorquens PA1”
Advisor: Jannell Bazurto
Parker Wiegert “Characterizing the T7SS of E. faecalis and S. gordonii”
Advisor: Julia Willett
Student Host: Hunter Houseman-Eddings
Faculty Reviewers: Geoff Hart, James McCarthy
APRIL 3
Gabi Farulla-Bastian, “Investigating fibrinogen and pili-independ biofilm determinants in E. faecalis CAUTI”
Advisor: Julia Willett
Maryah Glover, “Investigating the role of OX40 agonist on CD4 T cells during murine Mtb infection”
Advisor: Tyler Bold
Student Host: Maximillian Hellrung
Faculty Reviewers: Alon Herschhorn, Vaiva Vezys, Scott McIvor
APRIL 10
Tristan Neal “Identifying coronavirus tropism across mammalian fibroblasts using pseudotyped reporter viruses”
Advisor: Ryan Langlois
Student Host: Elise Femino
Faculty Reviewers: Julia Willett, Nikki Klatt, Branden Moriarity
APRIL 17
Lexi Luo, “Activating Low-Affinity T Cells to Prevent Relapse in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia”
Advisor: Mike Farrar
Enoc Granados Centeno, "Understanding how CD4 T cell dysfunction promotes relapse in B cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia"
Advisor: Mike Farrar
Student Host: Emma Dehm
Faculty Reviewers: David Boulware, Bryce Binstadt, David Potter
APRIL 24
Rizwan Mahmud, "IL-15 enhances adaptive immunity to Plasmodium vaccination"
Advisor: Kristina Burrack, Co-Advisor: Sara Hamilton Hart
Mark Salnikov, “How species-specific innate immune responses shape viral host tropisms”
Advisor: Ryan Langlois
Student Host: Marley Bishop
Faculty Reviewers: Daniel Bond, Yoji Shimizu, Stefani Thomas
MAY 1
Logan Lineburg, “Modulating the Tri-specific Natural Killer Cell Engager for Lung Cancer”
Advisor: Jeff Miller
Alex Lenvik, “Investigating Mechanisms of Limitless Natural Killer Cell Expansion”
Advisor: Frank Cichocki
Student Host: Julia Pritchard
Faculty Reviewers: Larry Wackett, Ingunn Stromnes, Gregory Vercellotti
MAY 8
Caity Holmes, Ph.D., Department of Microbiology and Immunology, MICaB Graduate Faculty Candidate
“Klebsiella pneumoniae requires distinct fitness strategies across tissues during bacteremia”
Faculty Advocate: Anna Tischler
MAY 15
Cameron Banks, "Macrophages Heterogeneity in Autoimmune Myocarditis Onset"
Advisor: Jesse Williams
Annie Wilt, “Characterizing the Host Immune Response to Tuberculous Meningitis”
Co-Advisors: David Boulware and Tyler Bold
Student Host: Caleb Kim
Faculty Reviewers: Pam Skinner, Michael Kyba, Carol Lange
Cancer Center Seminar Series
To view the Masonic Cancer Center Seminar Series, click here.
ALL SEMINARS ARE HELD:
In person or online via Zoom as noted.