Dr. Onami`s lab is specializing in the understanding of how the immune system recognizes and eliminates infections with microorganisms such as viruses and how this viral control is achieved. In this weeks interview we had an opportunity to take the general understanding of the immune system and delve even further into the unique specialization the immune system has for every host pathogen interaction it perceives. Dr. Onami`s lab is looking at how changes in glycosylation impact T cell functions by differentiating among the vast multitude of possibilities. With future goals of: by understanding these changes within interaction, there is a potential for manipulation for therapeutic purposes. We then tied the interview up with a conversation related to Dr. Onami`s time spent with the NIH, at the Fogarty International center, and how she really learned the business behind the science. Dr. Onami reminded the listeners that there has to be a very close cooperation between the labs and the funding so as to continue the amazing works and discoveries in the field, ultimately benefiting the end user through treatments, cures, Etc.
Take a moment to check out this link to Dr Onami`s lab!
Here are a few papers of interest!
http://www.jimmunol.org/cgi/content/abstract/179/12/8122
http://mcb.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/mcb;22/14/5173
http://lib.bioinfo.pl/pmid:12421910
http://www.jimmunol.org/cgi/content/abstract/168/12/6022
http://www.jci.org/111/12/1887/pdf
Dr Thandi Onami
Thandi Onami is Co Instructor at the University of Tennessee, Department of Microbiology Intro to microbiology, Global medicine and Emerging Infectious Diseases, and Immunology. She received her A.B. in Biology from Princeton university with a thesis: A new Technique for Examining DNA Polymorphism Demonstrated in Populations of Mytilus edulis. And went on to receive her PhD in biology from University of California San Diego. With a dissertation: Investigations into Apoptotic Cell Recognition and Macrophage Mediated Deletion of Immature T Cells.
Dr. Onami went on to spend time as a graduate researcher at Woods Hole Oceanographic institute, and the Scripps Institution of oceanography. And then made a change and spent Five years as a Postdoctoral fellow at the Emory Vaccine center, under the Advisement of Dr. Rafi Ahmed. After completing a wide array of education, Dr Onami decided to spend a year as an AAAS/NIH Science and Policy fellow in Bethesda Maryland, under DR. Jeanne McDermott.
