Dept. of Biochemistry McGill University Montreal, Canada
Dr. Langlais completed his Ph. D. with honours in Molecular Biology in 2011 under the supervision of Dr. Jacques Drouin at Universite de Montreal, Montreal, Canada and is currently pursuing postdoctoral research in Dr. Philippe Gros laboratory at McGill University. He is now studying the role of the transcription factors IRF8 and IRF1 in the interferon gamma (IFNg) response to infection. Dr. Langlais and colleagues have demonstrated that IRF8 is critical to mount an appropriate inflammatory response, as the mice are susceptible to M. tuberculosis infections but are resistant to neuroinflammation induced by the cerebral malaria model, P. berghei ANKA. Dr. Langlais is now exploring the relative role of IRF8 and its binding partner proteins (IRF1 and PU1) in the macrophage transcriptional response to IFNg. He is also evaluating the role of these transcriptional networks in human tuberculosis and malaria infections, still two of the most deadly diseases world-wide. This work may pave the way toward the identification of novel therapeutic targets against these infections.
Department of Immunology University of Washington Seattle, WA/Gilead Corp.
Dr. Ramos received his Ph.D. in Immunology from UT Southwestern Medical Center in 2009 under the mentorship of Dr. J. David Farrar. More recently, Dr. Ramos’s work has focused on identifying the mechanism by which interleukin-1b (IL-1β) and type I interferon cross-talk to promote protective immunity against viral infection. These studies have identified distinct IL-1β driven gene signatures that maintain classical interferon-stimulated gene responses to allow for optimal viral control. This work has established a new way of thinking about inflammatory and type I IFN signaling integration that may promote new avenues for the development of therapeutics against disease states in which IL-1β and type IFN responses are prevalent. Dr. Ramos is currently a member of the Gilead Sciences Discovery Virology group where he continues his work on cytokine driven viral/host interactions and the development of curative therapeutic interventions against inflammatory and viral diseases in humans.
Department of Microbiology UT Southwestern Medical Center Dallas, TX
Dr. Schoggins received his Ph.D. in 2007 from the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and recently joined the faculty in the Department of Microbiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. His current efforts are aimed at understanding the mechanisms of action of individual interferon stimulated genes that are otherwise uncharacterized. He is also interested in response of these genes against non-viral pathogens, such as bacteria and fungi, as well as species specific aspects of antiviral immunity. This ongoing work will further solidify our understanding of how the highly pleiotropic interferon system helps orchestrate innate defenses. Taking advantage of these naturally occurring virus inhibitors may be an effective strategy for future development of novel drugs to treat human viral diseases. Dr. Schoggins was elected as the ICIS Secretary for 2018 – 2020.
Announcing the 2020 Milstein Young Investigator Awardees
Aaron M Ring
Assistant Professor of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine
New Haven, United States
Elia Tait Wojno
Assistant Professor
Department of Immunology, University of Washington
Seattle, USA
Zhenyu Zhong
Assistant Professor
Department of Immunology,
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, USA
Young Investigators to Watch for 2019
Here are some of the emerging scientists in the field of interferon and cytokine research:
Assistant Professor in Immunology
Dept. Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine,
JF Coordinator for BSc in Human Health and Disease, TBSI, Head of Immunobiology Research Group, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN), Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Dr. Rajsbaum performed his PhD in the laboratory of Anne O’Garra at the MRC-NIMR, London in 2009, and completed his postdoctoral training at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, with Dr Adolfo Garcia-Sastre.
Dr. Sonnenberg completed his doctoral research training at the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine in 2011, focusing on mucosal immunology.
Dept. of Biochemistry
Department of Immunology
Department of Microbiology
Dr. Rathinam received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Madras Veterinary College, India and PhD from Michigan State University in 2009.
Dr. Sonnenberg completed his doctoral research training at the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine in 2011, focusing on mucosal immunology.
