Christopher C. DeNucci

Year entered: 2003

Degrees Received:

B.S. in Premedicine with minors in Neuroscience and Psychology, Penn State University

Honors and Awards: 
Honors, Years 1 and 2, Medical School
Immunology Training Grant Predoctoral Fellowship (August 2006-July2007)

Thesis Advisor: Yoji Shimizu, Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology Graduate Program

Thesis Research: 

In the past several years, I have spent time at the NIH and at the University of Minnesota exploring interests across several disciplines from nuclear imaging to cardiovascular physiology. 

 My current research interests lie in integrins and their role in lymphocyte function.  Integrins are a large family of cell surface receptors that mediate cellular adhesion to other cells and extracellular matrix.  In the immune system, integrins play an important role in leukocyte adhesion, trafficking to tissue, and antigen presentation. Through the investigation of integrin structure and intracellular interactions I hope to elucidate mechanisms regulating integrin activation. The long-term objective is to build a knowledge base that will allow for the specific modulation of the immune response by targeting mechanisms of cell adhesion and migration.  This knowledge could inspire better treatments for a wide variety of chronic inflammatory disorders.