UC San Diego HUMANOID: Center of Excellence in Human Organoid Research reposted this
UC San Diego Institute for Network Medicine (iNetMed) is proud to present its latest reason to celebrate our "bootcamp" program: #Congratulations to Mahitha Shree Anandachar, a stellar second year graduate student from the UC San Diego @Biomedical Sciences (BMS) Graduate Program who is pursuing her doctoral thesis in the laboratory of Pradipta Ghosh, for being awarded a prestigious American Heart Association (AHA) Predoctoral Fellowship! Her research focuses on understanding how infections can reprogram innate immune cells' ability to handle #cholesterol, impacting the development of #atherosclerosis. More specifically, Mahitha’s work dives into the role of a fascinating new class of molecules called GEMs (Guanine-nucleotide exchange modulators), which coordinate #signaling downstream of #pathogen-sensing receptors like #TLRs. Turns out, that these molecules may hold the key to understanding the intricate "crosstalk" between #infection-induced #immune responses and cholesterol metabolism. By exploring these mechanisms, Mahitha’s studies aim to shed light on why and how our gut microbes influence our susceptibility to heart disease. Importantly, her research could also provide valuable insights into #therapeutic strategies to intercept harmful signals and pave the way for new #treatments. We are so proud of Mahitha’s innovative work and excited to see the impact her research will have on the fields of immunology and cardiovascular health. 👏 #ResearchExcellence #AHA #PredoctoralFellowship #HeartHealth #Immunology #Microbiome #CardiovascularDisease #WomenInSTEM
