Dr. Mihaela Gadjeva
Dr. Gadjeva uses system biology approaches to define innate inflammatory networks triggered by clinically relevant pathogens (e.g.,Pseudomonas aeruginosa) with the primary goal to find key factors that determine the clinical outcomes during disease. By examining the innate immune responses to infection, Dr. Gadjeva’s group aims to identify disease-promoting and disease-resisting networks with the objective to design novel therapeutic modalities. Recently, her group has identified an important molecule - macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) – that is involved in the pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa-induced infections.
Current projects investigate molecular pathways, cellular types, kinetics for MIF production, and molecular mechanisms of MIF activities based on the expectation that inhibition of MIF can be therapeutically used to regulate the level of inflammation, thus improving recovery from infection.
