Post Doctoral Researcher, Microbial Infection and Immunity
Laboratory of Dr. Namal Liyanage
Contact information:
740 Biomedical Research Tower (BRT)
460 W 12th Ave, Columbus OH 43210
Phone: (614) 688-2165
rajni.shukla@osumc.edu
Research Interests
Although, remarkable achievements in anti-retroviral treatment, HIV-1 infection is continuing to grow and, no concrete treatment yet available to completely eradicate the virus from the infected people. The rate of progression of HIV disease may be substantially different among HIV-infected individuals. Following infection of the host with any virus, the delicate balance between virus replication and the immune response to the virus determines both the outcome of the infection, i.e. the persistence versus elimination of the virus, and the different rates of progression. The overarching goal of the Dr. Liyanage’s lab is to understand the immune pathobiology of HIV infection and development of preventive strategies and therapeutics. Their recent studies have shown the critical role of mucosal innate lymphoid cells and natural killer cells in the prevention of SIV/HIV infections in HIV vaccine studies.
Dr. Shukla’s research aims to
- Understand mechanisms use by innate lymphoid cells and natural killer cells to prevent SIV/HIV infection.
- Explore innate and adaptive immune cells in tonsils and mucosal tissues and use of oral adjuvant to enhance protection from HIV infection.
- Understand the mechanism of cross-reactive memory B cell during HIV/SIV infection.
His current works have shown the expression of novel innate cell subset in non-human primate and human tissues.
