“Signals” NEW ICIS Online Open Access Journal
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In This Issue: 2018 Young Investigator Award Winners p 2-7 Travel & Young Investigator Awards p 8-10 New Member Minibios p 14-19 Chasing the Antibody p 42 Alick Isaacs and the Limits of Intuitive Genius p 43 Si g n THE INTERNATIONALa CYTOKINEl & INTERFERONs SOCIETY+ NEWSLETTER APRIL 2019 I VOLUME 7 I NO. 1 Introducing “Signals” NEW ICIS Online Open Access Journal Message from the Editors: Signals is now officially open for new submissions on all on all aspects Welcome to Signals, a new open-access journal owned by the of basic, clinical and translational research related to cytokines. International Cytokine and Interferon Society. The editorial board and We are excited about the potential of Signals to contribute to research I are excited to get this rolling after years in the planning with the goal and hope to earn your support of this new endeavor. of serving the scientific community. We are grateful to so many who contributed to this launch, and to our future authors and readers. Help Reasons to publish with us: us send Signals to the forefront of publications! • Official open access journal owned by the International Cytokine & Signals is a new publication encompassing all aspects of basic, clinical Interferon Society and translational research related to cytokines and will be publishing • Encompasses all aspects of basic, clinical and translational research research articles as well as definitive reviews on cytokines, interleukins, related to cytokines chemokines and growth factors. Committed to advancing the • Publishing definitive reviews on cytokines, interleukins, chemokines understanding of immunological signals, cytokine biology and its role in and growth factors health and disease, the journal welcomes manuscripts on all aspects • ICIS Member Discounts on article-processing charges (APC) of basic, clinical and translational research related to immunological Submit your research to us at: signals.biomedcentral.com signals and cytokines. With a rigorous peer review process and a global editorial board, Signals will give your research the high visibility desired Scott K. Durum, Ph.D. – Editor-in-Chief within our community. Cristina Bergamaschi, Ph.D. – Senior Editor Future Cytokines 2019 Newsletter Editors: Meetings Oct. 20-23, 2019 Howard Young Vienna, Austria Marta Catalfamo Cytokines 2020, Di Yu November 1 - 4 2020 Hyatt Regency Seattle, Managing Director: Seattle, USA Joan Oefner The International Cytokine & Interferon Society Headquarters: [email protected] • TEL: 1-800-947-1960 • FAX: 1-201-322-1818 • www.cytokinesociety.org 2018 THE MILSTEIN YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARDEES Every year up to five awards are granted to individuals who have made notable contributions to either basic or clinical research. This award is provided by a generous gift of the Milstein Family. CRISTINA BERGAMASCHI, Ph.D. National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, USA Staff Scientist, Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, National Cancer Institute Cristina Bergamaschi, Ph.D. is a molecular immunologist and vaccine biologist who has specialized in the development of immunomodulatory cytokine therapies for cancer treatment and improved vaccination strategies. Dr. Bergamaschi received her Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine research identified that bioactive IL-15 requires a heterodimeric specializing in Immunology from the University of Milan, Italy in protein composed of the IL-15 cytokine associated with the IL-15 2008. She was awarded an NIH Visiting Fellowship for Cancer Receptor alpha chain (hetIL-15) for optimal activity. In preclinical Research to conduct postdoctoral research in the Human experiments, Dr. Bergamaschi showed that hetIL-15 administration Retrovirus Section headed by Dr. George N. Pavlakis at National may be a general method to induce lymphocyte entry into tumors, Cancer Institute (NCI) in Frederick, MD, USA. She is currently converting lymphocyte-poor “cold” tumors into “hot” and increasing a Staff Scientist in the Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section the cytotoxicity of lymphocytes. The discovery on hetIL-15 was headed by Dr. Barbara K. Felber in the Vaccine Branch at NCI. moved forward to create a novel cytokine therapy that is currently in At the NCI, Dr. Bergamaschi investigated the molecular biology clinical evaluation for metastatic cancer at the Clinical Center, NCI. and function of interleukin-15 (IL-15), which regulate innate The goal of Dr. Bergamaschi’s research is to tailor and adaptive leukocyte homeostasis and anti-tumor or anti-viral immunomodulatory biologicals for improved clinical efficacy in activities of leukocytes, in a variety of cellular and animal models cancer and infectious disease treatment and to translate her including genetically modified mice and macaque models. Her discoveries into clinical practices. 2 APRIL 2019 I VOLUME 7 I NO. 1 I THE INTERNATIONAL CYTOKINE & INTERFERON SOCIETY NEWSLETTER I [email protected] I TEL: 1-800-947-1960 I FAX: 1-201-322-1818 I www.cytokinesociety.org 2018 THE MILSTEIN YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARDEES RICARDO VIJAY A. K. RAJSBAUM, RATHINAM, Ph.D. DVM, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Assistant Professor, Immunology Department of Microbiology and Immunology UConn Health University of Texas Medical Branch Dr. Vijay Rathinam is An Assistant Professor of Immunology Ricardo Rajsbaum, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the and the Associate Director of Immunology Graduate Program at Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University UConn Health School of Medicine. He received his Doctorate of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas. Dr. Rajsbaum of Veterinary Medicine from Madras Veterinary College, India performed his PhD in the laboratory of Anne O’Garra at the MRC- and Ph.D. from Michigan State University. He completed his NIMR, London, UK, and completed his postdoctoral training postdoctoral training in innate immunity in Dr. Kate Fitzgerald’s at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, with Dr Adolfo laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Garcia-Sastre. Dr. Rajsbaum’s lab at UTMB studies regulation of His laboratory at UConn Health aims to identify key molecular cytokine expression in immune cells, TLR and RIG-I-like receptor mechanisms in innate immune sensing and inflammasome signaling, regulation and function of type-I IFNs, and virus–host signaling that govern the regulation of immune responses. His lab interactions, with a specific focus on the role of ubiquitin and recently uncovered how LPS gains access to the cytosol during TRIM E3-ubiquitin ligases in innate antiviral function. Current bacterial infections and identified outer membrane vesicles research is focused on the role of TRIM6 during infections with (OMV) produced by Gram-negative bacteria as a vehicle that highly pathogenic viruses (Ebola and Nipah; Bharaj et al., PLoS delivers LPS into the cytosol triggering caspase-11-dependent Path, 2016; Bharaj et al., J. Virol 2017), the role of the ubiquitin inflammasome responses. He is a recipient of the Herbert Tabor system in promoting Zika and dengue virus replication, and the Young Investigator Award in 2012 from the American Society role of unanchored polyubiquitin chains in regulation of innate for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The Rathinam lab is immune signaling. supported by the National Institutes of Health. 3 APRIL 2019 I VOLUME 7 I NO. 1 I THE INTERNATIONAL CYTOKINE & INTERFERON SOCIETY NEWSLETTER I [email protected] I TEL: 1-800-947-1960 I FAX: 1-201-322-1818 I www.cytokinesociety.org 3 2018 THE MILSTEIN YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARDEES GREG MUNIR AKKAYA, SONNENBERG, MD, Ph.D. Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology in Postdoctoral Fellow, NIAID, NIH Medicine, Weil Cornell, New York City, USA Dr. Munir Akkaya received his MD degree from Hacettepe Dr. Sonnenberg completed his doctoral research training at the University, Turkey in 2007 and D.Phil (PhD) degree from University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, focusing the University of Oxford in 2012. During his undergraduate on mucosal immunology. In 2012, he was a recipient of the NIH education, he was awarded with a Scholarship of Honor from Director’s Early Independence Award (DP5) that permitted him Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey and to develop and lead an independent research laboratory at the a Merit Scholarship from Hacettepe University. His doctorate University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine. In education was funded by Medical Research Council of the 2014, Dr. Sonnenberg was recruited as an Assistant Professor United Kingdom. His D.Phil thesis, which he prepared under of Microbiology & Immunology in Medicine at the Weill Cornell supervision of Dr. A. Neil Barclay, focused on the regulation Medical College in New York City. He has primary appointments of immune response through interactions of leukocyte surface in the Department of Medicine and Gastroenterology Division, molecules. He also explored how ligands of inhibitory receptors the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, and the Jill are acquired by various pathogens and used for immune evasion. Robert’s Institute for Research in IBD at Cornell University. The Following his D.Phil education, Dr. Akkaya joined the research Sonnenberg Laboratory research employs innovative murine group of Dr. Susan K Pierce at NIAID, NIH as a post-doctoral models and novel patient-based studies to provide new insights researcher and undertook projects related to B cell biology and into the pathogenesis