Lavanya Visvabharathy

My Ph.D research incorporated a variety of different manipulations of mouse models of bacterial infection, often utilizing multiplex arrays, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence to understand host-pathogen interactions. My interests span different areas of life science research, including host defense against microbial pathogens, understanding how drugs might modulate immunity, neuro-immune communication, and how drug metabolites may influence immunity long after the active form of the drug has been excreted. My postdoctoral work focuses on understanding the role of CD1-restricted lipid-specific T cells in the context of systemic Staphylococcus aureus MRSA infections. The ultimate goal of this work will be to incorporate immunodominant MRSA lipid antigens into a multi-component subunit vaccine to prevent recurrent MRSA infections.