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Paula Licona-Limon, Ph.D.

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TitlePostdoctoral Fellow
DepartmentDepartment of Immunobiology
InstitutionYale University
Address300 Cedar Street, Suite 569
City, State, ZipNew Haven, CT 06520-8011
CountryUnited States
E-Mailyale.edu
Websitemedicine.yale.edu/…/richard_flavell.profile
Award Year2008
Country of OriginMexico
FellowshipYale University
MentorRichard A. Flavell, Ph.D.

Research

Type 2 responses induced during helminth infections and allergies are controlled by a variety of cytokines including IL-4, IL-5, IL-9 and IL-13. Despite certain redundancy, particular cell targets have been identified for these cytokines in vivo however, most of the work done in Type 2 immunity has focused on IL-4 and more recently IL-13 while the role of Il-5 and IL-9 has been largely overlooked. My research interests are focused on the immunopathogenesis of Type 2 immune responses, with a particular emphasis on the molecular and cellular responses controlled by Interleukin 9 (IL-9) during helminth infections and chronic inflammatory disorders such as asthma. Previous studies, from our group, using transgenic mice that constitutively express IL-9 selectively in lung epithelial cells supported an important role for IL-9 in the pathogenesis of asthma. To definitively determine the IL-9 cellular sources and its targets in vivo we generated an IL-9 reporter knock-in mice. We also generated an IL-9 deficient mice in pure BALBc background to study the role of this cytokine in a strain prone to develop Th2 responses in vivo. A better understanding of IL-9 biology and physiology will be key to the development of alternative therapeutic strategies for more effective treatments controlled by IL-9 such as allergic asthma and nematode infections.

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2008 Fellows


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