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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology

@pitt-pmi.bsky.social
123 followers 94 following 71 posts

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine PhD Program in Microbiology and Immunology. Find us at pmi.pitt.edu

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TribLive @triblive.bsky.social · 3h
Pitt, UPMC researchers test vaccine aimed at preventing invasive breast cancer
triblive.com
Pitt, UPMC researchers test vaccine aimed at preventing invasive breast cancer
A vaccine being tested by University of Pittsburgh researchers could one day prevent some breast cancers before they become invasive — potentially stopping the disease before it truly starts. The experimental vaccine builds on decades of research by Pitt cancer researcher Dr. Olivera Finn, whose work identifying a molecule associated
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Congratulations to Robert Zhang from the @cornymel.bsky.social lab on his upcoming PhD thesis defense! 🎉👏
PMI student Robert Zhang will defend his doctoral thesis entitled "The genetic basis, viral determinants, and immunological factors underlying antiviral antibody responses" on October 14, 2026 at 1 pm.
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Congratulations to Hye Mi Kim from the Bruno lab on her upcoming PhD thesis defense! 👏🎈
Hye Mi Kim will defend her thesis entitled "Tertiary lymphoid structures in lung cancer: development, function, and therapeutic potential" on Oct 6, 2026
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Congratulations to @microbiosaroj.bsky.social from the @lauraamike.bsky.social lab on his upcoming PhD thesis defense! 🎈 🎉
Saroj Khadka will defend his dissertation entitled “Control of capsular polysaccharide chain length and attachment in Klebsiella pneumoniae” on September 28th in Scaife Hall.
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
We want to welcome our 19 first year PhD students to Pittsburgh! 🎉 We are happy to have you here and we're excited to see all the wonderful things you do!
PMI's first year PhD students are finally here in Pittsburgh!PMI's newest PhD students are here!
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Reposted by Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology
Laura Mike @lauraamike.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Last year, we reported that arginine stimulates mucoidy in hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae. Now we show an opposing cue, sugars! Here, we report that sugar import suppresses mucoidy. Full story in @natcomms.nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/s41... #microsky #klebclub See 🧵 for a summary:
nature.com
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Reposted by Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology
Journal of Experimental Medicine @jem.org · 18/08/2026
Vaishali Aggarwal, Yangxi Sun, Chang Liu, Dario Vignali et al. @pitt-immunology.bsky.social identify two distinct exhausted LAG3⁺CD8⁺ T cell subpopulations in tumors using a lineage-tracing model. rupress.org/jem/article/... #TumorImmunology
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
We welcome our PMI students back to campus for the 2026-2027 school year, especially our 20 first year students!
A banner on the University of Pittsburgh Oakland campus says "It's possible at Pitt."
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Congratulations to PMI student Mitch Meyer from the DePas lab on his upcoming PhD defense! 🎉👏
Mitch Meyer will defend his PhD dissertation entitled "Determining how nontuberculous Mycobacteria regulate biofilm formation and dispersal" at Rangos on August 25, 2026 at 1:30 pm.
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Congratulations to @nathaliechen.bsky.social from the @dariavantyne.bsky.social lab on her upcoming PhD thesis defense! 🎈👏
Nathalie Chen will defend her PhD dissertation entitled "Differential virulence potential of different clades of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae ST258" on August 18, 2026 at 11 am in Scaife Hall.
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Pitt Department of Immunology @pitt-immunology.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Know a college sophomore/junior in Pittsburgh who's interested in their first research opportunity? The Microbiology & Immunology Depts. Scholars program is for them! 4 semesters of hands-on research, mentorship & more. Apply by Sept. 2: www.pmi.pitt.edu/research/mid... @pitt-pmi.bsky.social
MIDS graduates holding their certificates and their mentors stand together in a group
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Congratulations to PMI student @catmphelps.bsky.social from the @meisellab.bsky.social on her upcoming PhD thesis defense! 🙌 🎉
Catherine Phelps will present her thesis defense entitled "Mechanisms of microbiome-mediated improvements to anticancer immunity" on August 6, 2026 at 10 am at The Assembly.
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Reposted by Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology
Vaughn Cooper @vscooper.micropopbio.org · 26/07/2026
In 2014, Jason Rosch and I met at a GRC in Tuscany and sketched an idea on a cocktail napkin: what if we evolved S.pneumo in mice, treated them with antibiotics, varied their immune systems and watched what won? 11 years and a huge team effort later, it's out in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social 🧵
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Reposted by Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology
Pitt Department of Immunology @pitt-immunology.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
A new @natcomms.nature.com paper from Jishnu Das's lab, incl 1st author @alisaomelchenko.bsky.social, uses a new network-based approach to resolve a longstanding debate about Tfh cells—key drivers of strong antibody responses—in mice vs. humans. Read more: www.immunology.pitt.edu/news/single-...
Schematic depicting how individual analyses of transcriptomic, epigenomic, and signaling datasets capture fragmented “slices” of immune responses, whereas network-based approaches can integrate these views to identify a core program underlying immune responses.
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Reposted by Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology
Pitt Department of Immunology @pitt-immunology.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Congratulations to Reinhard Hinterleitner (@rh-lab.bsky.social) on receiving the @societymucosalimm.bsky.social Young Investigator Award! #ICMI2026 Learn more about this award and Dr. Hinterleitner's research: www.immunology.pitt.edu/news/reinhar...
Reinhard Hinterleitner has received the Society for Mucosal Immunology's 2026 Young Investigator Award
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Congratulations to PMI student Louis Lau from Dr. Harinder Singh's laboratory on his upcoming PhD thesis defense! 🎈 👏
Louis Lau will present his PhD thesis dissertation entitled "Regulatory logic of transcription factors orchestrating human plasma cell differentiation and survival" on July 22, 2026 at 1pm in The Assembly.
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Congratulations to PMI student Austin Hertel from the @roguerifter.bsky.social lab on his upcoming PhD thesis defense! 🙌 🎉
Austin Hertel will present his PhD thesis dissertation entitled "Defending the vulnerable: maternal vaccination with live-attenuated Rift Valley fever virus prevents maternal disease, in utero transmission and neonatal mortality in rats" on July 22, 2026 at 12pm in BST3.
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Congratulations to Julia Ferrick from labs of Dr. Yi-Nan Gong and Rebecca Elsner on her upcoming thesis defense! 🎉 👏
Julia Ferrick will present her PhD thesis dissertation entitled "The flatliner response: proteomic discovery of plasma membrane damage regulators and their role in cell survival and immune signaling" on July 14, 2026 at 11:30 am in the Assembly Building.
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
PMI’s own Dr. Vaughn Cooper @vscooper.micropopbio.org is the new president of the American Society of Microbiology! 👏🏼
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Reposted by Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology
Pitt Department of Immunology @pitt-immunology.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
A new commentary in @natcancer.nature.com by Tullia Bruno and colleagues at Pitt and @mdanderson.bsky.social explores the potential of targeting tertiary lymphoid structures in cancer immunotherapy and charts a future course for the field. www.nature.com/articles/s43...
nature.com
The future of tertiary lymphoid structures in cancer immunotherapy as biomarkers and therapeutic targets - Nature Cancer
Bruno and colleagues provide an overview of tertiary lymphoid structures as biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets in the cancer immunotherapy era.
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Reposted by Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology
Vaughn Cooper @vscooper.micropopbio.org · 29/06/2026
Important results of collab led by ⭐surgeon-microbiologist Ken Urish w/ @dariavantyne.bsky.social @ironark.bsky.social and us: Chronic suppression of a multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in prosthetic joint infection using personalized bacteriophage treatment www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Chronic suppression of a multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in prosthetic joint infection using personalized bacteriophage treatment - Nature Communications
This work reports the clinical outcomes of bacteriophage therapy for a recalcitrant Pseudomonas aeruginosa periprosthetic joint infection, demonstrating infection control through biofilm disruption an...
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Congratulations to former PMI student Christine Tin from the Hand Lab @pittpediatrics.bsky.social on her new paper!
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
New paper from PMI faculty member Dr. Tullia Bruno 👇🏼
aacrjournals.org
Pulsed Electric Field Ablation Reprograms Tumor Immunity and Stimulates Germinal Center Formation in Tertiary Lymphoid Structures in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Abstract. Purpose: This treat-and-resect clinical study evaluated a specialized form of pulsed electric field (PEF) ablation’s potential to modulate antitumor immunity in early-stage non-small cell lu...
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Pitt BGSA @pittbgsa.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
We had so much fun hosting the Kayaking Event on 6th June! What a great turnout! And great weather! Sunny and super fun! #bgsa #recreational #pitt #kayaking
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
PMI faculty member @dariavantyne.bsky.social in the news!
post-gazette.com
New NIH-funded center at Pitt explores ‘natural predators of bacteria’
For more than a century, antibiotics have been medicine's go-to weapon against bacterial infections. But as drug-resistant bacteria become increasingly...
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Congratulations to Jordan Warunek from the @hector15215.bsky.social laboratory on his upcoming thesis defense! 🎈👏
PMI student Jordan Warunek will defend his thesis entitled "Mechanisms disrupting reparative macrophage differentiation in solid organ transplantation" on June 8, 2026 at 1:30 pm.
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Congratulations to Yannis Rigas from the @stleger.bsky.social laboratory on his upcoming thesis defense! 🎉 🙌
Yannis Rigas will defend his thesis titled "Determining how ocular microbes colonize and induce immunity at the ocular surface" on June 18, 2026 at 1:30pm at UPMC Mercy.
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Pitt Department of Immunology @pitt-immunology.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
New review in @cp-immunity.bsky.social by @meisellab.bsky.social & @pitt-pmi.bsky.social ‬grad student @catmphelps.bsky.social synthesizes how exercise reshapes the immune system & the potential of exercise-based therapies for cancer, autoimmunity, and other diseases. www.cell.com/immunity/ful...
Circular diagram depicting current evidence for the mechanisms by which exercise affects the immune system in the contexts of cancer, diabetes, and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Congratulations to Jordan Warunek from the @hector15215.bsky.social laboratory on his upcoming thesis defense! 🎈👏
PMI student Jordan Warunek will defend his thesis entitled "Mechanisms disrupting reparative macrophage differentiation in solid organ transplantation" on June 8, 2026 at 1:30 pm.
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Melissa Kane PhD @cornymel.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
It’s pretty surreal to see my name on this list… I am so fortunate to be at the Cold Spring Harbor Retroviruses meeting this week celebrating with the best community of scientists Wins are harder to come by these days and this is a big help for keeping motivated!
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Zandrea Ambrose, Ph.D. 🦠🧬🧪🧫 @zandrea.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
Other PMI students not pictured: Drs. Darryl Abbott, Morgan Jackson-Strong, Emma Mills, Jenna Nosek, Ellen Scott, Xay Somoulay, Yu-Hao Wang, Nanami Kubota, Luzmariel Medina, Jessica Medrano, Sean Roberts, Paul Zdinak, Leigh Miller, Alecia Rokes & Eric Weiss
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
Congratulations Class of 2026 PMI graduates! 🎉🤗
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Zandrea Ambrose, Ph.D. 🦠🧬🧪🧫 @zandrea.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
Congratulations to my former student Dr. Zachary Ingram for officially receiving his PhD from @pitt-pmi.bsky.social ! So proud!
A proud mentor stands next to her most recent PhD graduate in fancy polyester robesCongratulations School of Medicine Class of 2026 graduates!
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Journal of Experimental Medicine @jem.org · 15/05/2026
Inhibitory receptor agonists: Emerging strategies in immune modulation. Review from Kieran R. Adam and Aamir Suhail @vignalilab.bsky.social @kuchroolab.bsky.social: rupress.org/jem/article/... 📘 From #Inflammation Resolution 2026: rupress.org/jem/collecti... #KSInflammation26
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Pitt BGSA @pittbgsa.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Our final BGSA Sip of Science @ Hazel Grove Brewing for this term will be next WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, starting @ 6 pm. Emily Wheelis and Emily Kinney will be our speakers talking about their work on astrocytes and bacteria - come grab a brew and hear about their research, hope to see you there!
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Pitt Department of Immunology @pitt-immunology.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
In our new Trainee Spotlight, meet Harshita Beeravolu, a @pitt-pmi.bsky.social grad student in the @poholeklab.bsky.social studying non-coding elements that regulate CD8 #Tcell gene expression. Read the Q&A here: www.immunology.pitt.edu/news/trainee...
Trainee Spotlight with Harshita Beeravolu, a graduate student in Amanda Poholek's lab at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Immunology.
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Pitt Department of Immunology @pitt-immunology.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
New research published in @natimmunol.nature.com by @poholeklab.bsky.social shows how the transcription factor BLIMP1 controls the identity of cells involved in allergic asthma in mice. Read more: www.immunology.pitt.edu/news/blimp1-...
Side-by-side microscopy images of mouse lung tissue. When BLIMP1 is switched off in ILC2 cells, there is far less inflammation and mucus buildup after allergen exposure (right) compared to lungs of control mice (left). CREDIT: Zheng et al., 2026; Nature Immunology
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Tera Levin @teralevin.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Bacterial immune proteins have repeatedly evolved to become parts of eukaryotic immunity. But how? Our new preprint uncovers a recent horizontal transfer event & shows how eukaryotes co-opted a toxic bacterial immune protein 🦠🧪🧵 1/
Microscopy image showing yeast cells expressing a fluorescently tagged version of the amoeba TirC protein. TirC forms filaments that span the yeast cells.
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Congratulations to PMI MSTP student Christine Tin from Dr. Timothy Hand's laboratory @pittpediatrics.bsky.social on her upcoming PhD thesis defense! 🎉
PMI student Christine Tin will defend her thesis entitled "Single-cell quantification of the microbiota by flow cytometry: MicFLY" on May 13, 2026 at 1 pm at The Assembly.
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Zandrea Ambrose, Ph.D. 🦠🧬🧪🧫 @zandrea.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Today we held our 2nd annual IMM-MMG retreat. We had a fantastic line up of faculty and trainee speakers, a keynote speaker, & many poster presenters. Thank you to our chairs @vignalilab.bsky.social & @joanneflynn19.bsky.social for sponsoring a special event to foster more scientific collaborations!
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Pitt Department of Immunology @pitt-immunology.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Feed your T cells! A new @nature.com paper from @delgoffelab.bsky.social shows that post-meal T cells are more potent than those from fasted individuals, suggesting diet-based strategies could improve cancer immunotherapy outcomes & vaccine responses. www.immunology.pitt.edu/news/eating-...
Greg Delgoffe and Alok Kumar sit at a table, each taking a big bite of a sandwich.
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Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute @starzlinstitute.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Huge thank you to @miriammerad.bsky.social for presenting "Macrophages: Key Guardians of Tissue Health and Drivers of Diseases" last week at our first 2026 #Eberly Distinguished Lectureship in #Immunology!! It was an honor to host you and hear your lecture!🌟🔬
Dr. Miriam Merad is a woman with black hair pulled back, wearing a brown leather skirt with a blue and white patterned blouse, as well as a brown belt and dark brown knee-high boots. She is standing in front of the projector screen, smiling at the camera with her arms crossed.From left to right: Drs. Dario Vignali, Miriam Merad, and Heth Turnquist. They are standing in front of a projector screen with Dr. Merad's title slide showing: "Macrophages: Key guardians of tissue health and drivers of diseases".
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Journal of Clinical Investigation @jci.org · 27/04/2026
This Research Article raises caution for integrin-targeted therapies in HIV-driven neuroinflammation: doi.org/10.1172/JCI1... Smita S. Iyer @smitaiyer.bsky.social & team find blocking α4 integrin in SIV infection impairs CD8 T cell access to the brain, weakening antiviral defense.
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Taylor Eddens @eddenstj.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Thanks for sharing our work! Super excited to see this story out in @insight.jci.org
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Pitt Department of Immunology @pitt-immunology.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Congratulations to @pitt-immunology.bsky.social faculty and trainee recipients of @niaidnews.bsky.social funding, which will advance understanding of immune mechanisms & new approaches for diagnosing and treating inflammatory conditions & autoimmunity! www.immunology.pitt.edu/news/departm...
immunology.pitt.edu
Department of Immunology Awarded Six New NIAID Grants | Department of Immunology
April 27, 2026University of Pittsburgh Department of Immunology faculty and students are advancing understanding of fundamental immune mechanisms and developing new approaches for diagnosing and treat...
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Nature Microbiology @natmicrobiol.nature.com · 22/04/2026
Out Now! A single-cell atlas of Toxoplasma sexual development in the feline intestinal tract #MicroSky
go.nature.com
A single-cell atlas of Toxoplasma sexual development in the feline intestinal tract
Nature Microbiology, Published online: 22 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02294-7Single-cell RNA sequencing is used to study the sexual development of Toxoplasma gondii in cats, generating a transcriptional atlas and showing that the female-specific gene AP2X6 functions as a regulator of oocyst formation.
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Congratulations to PMI student Darryl Abbott from Dr. Timothy Hand's laboratory @pittpediatrics.bsky.social on her upcoming PhD thesis defense! 👏
Darryl Abbott's thesis entitled "Maternal immunoglubulin A and the preweaning intestine regulate the neonatal host-microbiota relationship" will be defended on April 30, 2026 at 10 a.m. at The Assembly.
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Pitt Department of Immunology @pitt-immunology.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Congratulations to Drs. Dario Vignali @vignalilab.bsky.social and Sarah Gaffen @slg1717.bsky.social ( @pittdeptofmed.bsky.social) on being recognized as 2026 Distinguished fellows yesterday at @aai.org #IMMUNOLOGY2026!
Sarah Gaffen and Dario Vignali holding their American Association of Immunologists (AAI) Distinguished Fellow of 2026 awards at the AAI meeting in Boston.
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Congratulations to recent PMI graduate Morgan Jackson-Strong from the @gottschalklab.bsky.social on her new paper!
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Pitt Program in Microbiology & Immunology @pitt-pmi.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Congratulations to PMI student @febrigunawan48.bsky.social from Dr. Renfeng Li's laboratory on his upcoming PhD thesis defense! 🎉 🎈
Febri Sugiokto will defend his PhD thesis entitled "Promoter-specific proteomics identifies HNRNPA2B1 as an epigenetic regulator of EBV latency and reactivation" on April 22, 2026 at 1 pm.
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