Cytotoxic T-Cells: Nature’s Assassins or something more?

Date: Wednesday, December 15
Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm (lunch provided to in-person attendees)
Location: Discovery I, Room 331 (virtual option available)

Register for in-person (limited seating) at https://bit.ly/3d0yb6G
Register for virtual attendance at https://bit.ly/31d8ld6

Seminar Description:
Cytotoxic (CD8+) T-cells are mainly known for their role in killing infected and cancerous cells however, recent evidence suggest that this cell population also plays a major role in the post-myocardial infarction (MI) remodeling process. Our lab has indicted that these cells likely have both a beneficial and detrimental role possibly due to temporal-dependent heterogeneity. Our goal is to dissect the role of cytotoxic T-cells over the post-MI time course and determine targets as a potential therapy to prevent development of heart failure.

Speaker Info:
Dr. DeLeon-Pennell is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Cardiology at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). She received her PhD in 2011 at Baylor University and was trained in cardiac physiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio and the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Her research is focused on dissecting the interplay of pre-existing variables such as chronic inflammation, sex, and age on cardiovascular events. This includes dissecting the influence of the innate and adaptive immune system on cardiovascular remodeling, understanding the dynamics and function of bio-molecules involved in cardiac remodeling, and utilizing the knowledge acquired to develop therapeutic strategies to prevent, slow, or reverse the progression to heart failure.