Baylor College of Medicine Immunology Research Programs: A Comprehensive Overview

Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) offers a robust and multifaceted immunology research program. This program fosters collaboration and innovation, providing students and faculty with the resources and support necessary to advance the understanding and treatment of a wide range of diseases. The program integrates basic, translational, and clinical research, leveraging cutting-edge technologies and collaborative partnerships to address critical questions in immunology.

Interdisciplinary Research Environment

BCM's immunology research benefits from a highly interdisciplinary environment, engaging various STEM programs. Ph.D. students have the opportunity to collaborate with a diverse group of faculty actively involved in both basic and translational research. These areas encompass Immunology, Biochemistry, Virology, Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, Medicinal Chemistry, and Environmental Science. Such breadth encourages a holistic approach to research, fostering innovation and novel insights.

Degree Tracks in Biology

The Ph.D. program in Biology offers two distinct degree tracks:

Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology (EEO): This track focuses on the study of macro-organism body structures and systems, their relationship to the environment, and the impact of human activity on these systems.
Cell, Molecular, Health, and Disease Biology (CMHD): This track focuses on the study of molecular and cellular-based pathways and their impact on an organism's health.

Both tracks provide students with broad, foundational training in modern biology while allowing for a focused, specialized research experience.

Cutting-Edge Resources and Core Facilities

Baylor College of Medicine provides access to advanced technology core laboratories that offer state-of-the-art instrumentation and technologies. These facilities also offer consultation on experimental design, data analysis, and training. These resources support faculty and students in conducting cutting-edge research.

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Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center (DLDCCC)

BCM researchers are closely aligned with the NCI-funded Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center (DLDCCC). The DLDCCC focuses on basic and translational cancer research, as well as clinical research and clinical trials. It provides an educational program that includes seminars and special events. The center also houses core laboratories that provide expertise and cutting-edge services, such as:

Acquiring human tissues
Mouse modeling
Full-service approaches to genomic, protein, and metabolomics analyses
Informatics analysis of big data sets

These resources are available to Immunology & Microbiology Program faculty and students.

Center for Cell and Gene Therapy

The Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, and Houston Methodist Hospital provides an infrastructure to rapidly translate novel cell and gene therapy protocols from the laboratory to the clinic. This center accelerates the development and implementation of new therapies for a variety of diseases.

Advanced Technology Core Laboratories

Advanced technology core laboratories provide state-of-the-art instrumentation and technologies as well as consultation on experimental design, data analysis and training.

Research Focus Areas

The immunology research programs at Baylor College of Medicine cover a wide range of topics, reflecting the diverse interests and expertise of its faculty. Here are some key areas of focus:

Cancer Immunology and the Tumor Microenvironment

Research has shown that the tumor microenvironment (TME) can participate in the fight against cancer but also can promote its growth and help the tumor evade the immune response. Assessing the effectiveness of new therapies on the TME is challenging, making it a critical area of study.

The Hudson Laboratory has been awarded a three-year grant from the Diana Helis Henry Medical Research Foundation to develop new immunotherapeutic strategies for brain tumors. The research will focus on tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells, crucial components of anti-tumor immunity. By employing advanced technologies such as single-cell RNA-sequencing, high-parameter spectral flow cytometry, and spatial transcriptomics, the Hudson Lab will map the immune environment of brain tumors in detail.

T Cell Exhaustion and Immunotherapy

Immunotherapies, which modify the immune system to treat diseases, have revolutionized the treatment of cancer. However, not all patients respond to current immunotherapies. Research at BCM focuses on understanding the mechanisms of T cell exhaustion, a process by which T cells become dysfunctional and fail to control tumors and infections. By understanding the biology of T cell exhaustion, researchers can identify new targets and strategies to improve T cell function.

Microbiota and the Immune System

A significant body of work currently indicates that the microbiota helps shape the immune system and allows it to do its job. Research at BCM focuses on understanding the complex interactions between the microbiota and the immune system, with the goal of developing new strategies to modulate the immune response through manipulation of the microbiota.

Viral Immunology

BCM researchers are making significant contributions to the understanding of viral infections and the development of new antiviral therapies. Key areas of research include:

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Rotavirus: After eluding researchers for more than 30 years, the VP3 protein of rotavirus has finally revealed its unique structure and function to a team led by labs at Baylor College of Medicine. Rotavirus infection causes diarrhea and vomiting primarily in children younger than 5, with the exception of babies younger than 28 days of age, who usually have no symptoms. However, in some places, infections in newborns are associated with severe gastrointestinal problems. What can lead to an asymptomatic or to a clear infection is not clearly understood.
Norovirus: Teams of researchers around the world have been working for more than four decades to find a way to grow this virus in the lab. Success came from a BCM laboratory where they grew, for the first time, noroviruses in laboratory cultures of human intestinal epithelial cells.

Allergic Diseases and Fungal Infections

An increasing number of clinical observations indicates that fungi are becoming a more common cause of upper airway allergic diseases such as asthma, as well as other conditions such as sepsis. Fungal infections causing airway allergic diseases and sepsis have been associated with increased risk for dementia later.

Genetics of Preeclampsia

For years, researchers have looked for single gene mutations that could be strongly associated with risk of preeclampsia, but the results have not been encouraging. Previous work suggested that a genetic factor seemed todispose to preeclampsia, but its identification has been elusive.

Alzheimer's Disease and Inflammation

Inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease involves the activation of two types of cells in the brain: the resident immune cells called microglia, and astrocytes, star-shaped cells that support neuronal functions. In addition, there are elevated levels of cytokines, molecules that are produced by immune cells to promote inflammation. But the question remained, how does chronic inflammation in brains with Alzheimer’s disease lead to neuronal dysfunction and the consequent neurodegeneration and dementia?

Fusion Genes and Cancer

A fusion gene is a new gene made by joining parts of two different genes. It had been thought that fusion genes precede fusion RNA, but some have raised doubts that this is always the case. About 10 years ago scientists proposed the ‘cart-before-the-horse-hypothesis,’ which puts forward the idea that fusion RNA can form first and then guide the rearrangement of genes to form the corresponding fusion gene.

Cancer-Promoting Genes

Baylor researchers discovered a new major class of cancer-promoting genes by showing that many normal proteins made by our cells can act like carcinogens, damaged DNA and causing mutations.

Faculty Research Highlights

Several faculty members at Baylor College of Medicine are conducting innovative research in immunology and related fields. Here are a few examples:

Dr. Annie T. Ginty: Dr. Ginty's research examines how the brain links psychological experiences, such as stress, with cognitive, biological, and behavioral changes that matter for health. Her research program integrates neuroimaging, psychophysiological, neuroendocrine, and epidemiological methods. Her particular focus is on the neurobiology of the peripheral nervous system and cardiovascular responses to stress and their relationship with unhealthy behaviors and future disease.
Dr. Elisabeth G. Vichaya: Dr. Vichaya's research is broadly aimed at understanding the mechanism by which the brain and immune system communicate. This includes an interest in understanding how psychological factors, such as stress, are able to impact our vulnerability to disease as well as how diseases, such as cancer, can impact how we feel, think, and behave. The primary focus of her research is understanding the mechanisms underlying cancer-related fatigue, employing mouse models to better understand these mechanisms. Further, the research within her laboratory examines why a subset of individuals continue to experience debilitating fatigue and depression for months and even years after completion of cancer therapy.
Dr. Angie LeRoy: Dr. LeRoy is the Director and Principal Investigator of The Baylor “HEAL” Lab, Studying HEalth Across the Lifespan. Dr. LeRoy includes a variety of health-related measures in her research studies including biomarkers of immunity, parasympathetic nervous system activity, observational wound healing, and patient-reported outcomes. One of the HEAL lab’s core initiatives is to elucidate the various physiological and neurobiological systems involved in human responses to social separation-particularly in cases when an individual is separated from someone with whom they have formed an attachment relationship, whether it be brief or prolonged. In addition, the HEAL lab develops and implements interventions to help people heal after social loss.
Dr. Michael Trakselis: Dr. Trakselis's research centers on understanding the molecular mechanisms of DNA replication and repair and exploiting this knowledge for cancer therapeutics, biotechnology, and nanoscale applications. He utilizes a model archaeal DNA replication system which shares significant homology to that of higher eukaryotes but is amenable to in vitro biochemistry experiments. This allows for drawing parallels between different domains of life using simpler replication systems. Additionally, Dr. Trakselis's lab utilizes cellular biology approaches in human cells to investigate the roles of various enzymes in double-strand break repair.
Dr. Patrick Farmer: Dr. Farmer's research interests lie in Flavonol Complexes, Melanin/Melanoma, and Biocoordination of HNO.
Dr. Jung Hyun Min: Dr. Min's research seeks to understand how cellular DNA repair works by investigating the structures and dynamics of protein-DNA complexes involved in DNA damage sensing and repair using X-ray crystallography and various biochemical/biophysical techniques. Her research group is currently focusing on understanding the detailed mechanism of the damage recognition and subsequent repair steps in NER involving XPC (Rad4 in yeast). The outcome of their research provides an atomic-level understanding of the repair mechanisms and sheds light on the underlying cause of the related diseases.
Dr. Bryan F. Shaw: Dr. Shaw's research laboratory is a mix of bio-inorganic chemistry, protein biophysics-with a focus on protein misfolding and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-and a dash of medicinal chemistry and proteomics.
Dr. Mary Lynn Trawick: Dr. Trawick's biochemistry research interests lie in the field of enzymology.
Dr. William H. Hudson: T cells are responsible for destroying tumors and cells infected with intracellular pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. “Exhaustion” is the process by which T cells become dysfunctional and fail to control tumors and infections. By understanding the biology of T cell exhaustion, we can identify new targets and strategies to improve T cell function.

Student Experience and Training

Baylor College of Medicine is committed to providing a supportive and enriching training environment for its students. The faculty are dedicated to helping students grow and develop the technical skills, knowledge, and soft skills needed to succeed in their future careers. Students have the opportunity to gain experience as teaching assistants and to participate in interdisciplinary research projects.

Student Testimonials

"The faculty really cares about me growing and having everything I need as a student to succeed in my future career. This is true for technical skills, knowledge, and the soft skills that are in such high demand in any science field. They ask, "What do you want out of your education," and then respond with initiatives that provide what we need. I have no doubt that I will go into my career with everything that I need to succeed. I feel like the most spoiled graduate student having all of these collaborating researchers and institutions at my feet." - Kristyn Hoffman, Ph.D.

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