Melissa Lodoen

Melissa B. Lodoen, Ph.D.
University of California, Irvine

A major goal of my research program is to define the cellular and molecular pathways that activate the innate immune response during infection. My research focuses on the role of monocytes and macrophages in host defense and inflammation during infection with Toxoplasma gondii. One major area of research is to define the mechanisms by which primary human peripheral blood monocytes produce and regulate IL-1b during T. gondii infection. In a second area of research, my lab is investigating the role of monocytes in pathogen dissemination and host defense at the blood-brain barrier during T. gondii infection of the CNS.