Kristin Anderson

E-mail: ande8527@umn.edu

Year entered: 2008

Thesis Advisor: David Masopust

Degrees received:
B.S., University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN

Thesis research:

Many pathogens are successful at causing infection by entering through mucosal surfaces, such as the lung airways or the intestinal tract. Previous work has already shown that CD8+ T cells are present in the lung during infections. However, data regarding whether or not memory T cells reside long-term in the lung tissue or have the ability to continually re-enter the circulation is conflicting. In addition, previous data suggests that factors of the lung environment may prevent proliferation of T lymphocytes, a hallmark of memory cell activation. Thus, the specific role of these memory cells in an infection is still unclear. Our goal is to further explore the role of these cells in this unique environment.

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