Irlanda Olvera-Gomez

Center for Immunology
Department of Lab Medicine & Pathology
University of Minnesota
MMC 334
420 Delaware St SE
Minneapolis, MN 55406

Lab: 612/625-1626
Fax: 612/625-2199

email: gomez141@umn.edu

Positions

Postdoctoral Fellow(2008 - current). Laboratory of Dr. Stephen Jameson. Department of Lab Medicine & Pathology University of Minnesota

Education

PhD, Molecular Biomedicine
CINVESTAV, Mexico City

Current Research

Epicutaneous vaccination (i.e. antigen delivery through the unbroken skin) is a non-classical approach for immunization, but our group has found that it is sufficient to prime a protective CD8 memory T cell response. We find optimal protective immunity (against infection with Listeria) arises following epicutaneous immunization with antigen plus cholera toxin (CT) as the adjuvant (rather than CpG or other TLR ligands)… but the mechanisms involved in CT-based vaccination are unknown. Langerhans cells are a prominent DC cell in the epidermis, but our data suggest these are not required for CD8 T cell immunization, opening the question of which APC are needed for priming. It is also unknown which cell type(s) the CT itself needs to bind in order to promote CD8 T cell priming (CT binds ubiquitously expressed carbohydrate ligands). On the other hand, we find that lymphopenia is observed during the days following epicutaneous vaccination with CT, and it is attractive to consider that this may contribute to CT vaccination efficacy. This issue will be addressed as another aspect of my project, in which I will evaluate the role of lymphopenia on memory CD8 T cell generation and function.

Publications