Oludare A. Odumade

E-mail: oduma002@umn.edu

Year Entered: 2005 (Medical School), 2007 (MD/PhD Program)

Degrees Received:
B.A., Biology/Psychology, Hamline University

Thesis Advisor: Kristen Hogquist, Ph.D., Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology Graduate Program (MICaB)

Thesis Research:

My work in the Hogquist lab focuses on T-cell development and on the immunological mechanisms that control the T cell repertoire and lead to an effective adaptive immune response.

We are currently characterizing the way in which CD8+ T cells together with other signals (i.e. cytokine signals) influence the development EBV-induced diseases. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a gamma-herpes virus, is one of the most common infectious human viruses worldwide. Infection in early childhood is common and usually asymptomatic while infection during the second decade or later often causes infectious mononucleosis (IM). IM is characterized by fever, hepatosplenomegaly, pharyngitis, lymphadenopathy and atypical lymphocytosis. Furthermore, EBV has been associated with many types of cancer such as Burkitt's lymphoma and can cause serious complications. This work seeks to reduce gaps in knowledge as to the underlying immunological mechanisms that occur during EBV infection and facilitate efforts to develop a vaccine that protects from IM and/or EBV-related sequelae.

Another component of our work focuses on the role of a transcription factor, LKLF (KLF-2) on thymic emigration of mature T cells. Previous research indicates that KLF-2 may be critical T cell homeostasis and survival in view of the fact that KLF-2 deficiency results in reduced mature single positive lymphocytes in the lymph node and spleen. As KLF-2 knockout mice are embryonic lethal due to defects in vasculogenesis, our lab as created a conditional KLF-2 knockout. We aim to elucidate the role of the transcription factor KLF-2 in the development and thymic emigration of non-conventional T cells, such as regulatory T cells (CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+), gamma-delta T cells, and Natural Killer-T cells. Understanding what factors control the migration of T cells will allow the development of specific immunomodulatory drugs for use in autoimmunity, inflammatory diseases and transplant immunity.

Publications prior to entering the MD/PhD Program:

Njoku DB, Talor MV, Fairweather D, Frisancho-Kiss S, Odumade OA, Rose NR. A novel model of drug hapten-induced hepatitis with increased mast cells in the BALB/c mouse. Exp Mol Pathol. 2005;78:87-100.

Mayerova D, Parke EA, Bursch LS, Odumade OA, Hogquist KA. Langerhans cells activate naive self-antigen-specific CD8 T cells in the steady state. Immunity. 2004;21:391-400.