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FLANO LABORATORY
Infectious diseases are a major health priority. My work aims to understand the mechanisms of immune protection against viral infections, which a focus on infections initiated in the respiratory tract. To accomplish this, we use a several models of viral infection including murine γ-herpesvirus 68, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and Newcastle disease virus.
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| Education |
| 2000 |
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Postdoctoral Research Associate |
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Immunology |
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St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN |
| 1996 |
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Ph.D. |
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Cell Biology |
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University of León, León, Spain |
| Professional Experience |
| 2007- PRES |
Director, Flow Cytometry Core Facility, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH. |
| 2004- PRES |
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University School of Medicine, Columbus, OH. |
| 2004- PRES |
Principal Investigator, Center for Vaccines and Immunity, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH. |
| 2001- 2004 |
Research Assistant Member, Trudeau Institute, Saranac Lake, NY. |
| 2000- 2001 |
Research Associate, Trudeau Institute, Saranac Lake, NY. |
| 1997- 2000 |
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN. |
Research Interests
Infectious diseases are a major health priority. My work aims to understand the mechanisms of immune protection against viral infections, which a focus on infections initiated in the respiratory tract. To accomplish this, we use a several models of viral infection including murine γ-herpesvirus 68, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and Newcastle disease virus. Two are our main research interests.
First, to understand how T cells are recruited into the respiratory tract in response to infection. The lung is the major portal of entry for microorganisms in the body. However, we still do not know how T cells are specifically recruited to the lung and into the airways during infection. We propose that type I interferon signaling mediates T cell trafficking into the airways following virus infection of the respiratory epithelium.
Second, another goal in our laboratory is to understand how protective T cell memory can be elicited and maintained long-term. To develop safe and effective vaccines we need a thorough knowledge of the mechanisms that regulate immunological memory. Although long-lived, protective T cell memory wanes with time after viral clearance. We also know that high-level antigen persistence is detrimental for T cell memory and function. More than 95% of the human adult population shows evidence of life-long latent persistent infection by herpesviruses. However, only a minority of these individuals develop herpesvirus-associated diseases. We propose that understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that maintain life-long protective T cell responses during herpesvirus persistence will be instrumental for elucidating how long-lasting cellular immunity is generated and maintained.
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| Selected Publications |
| Stuller, K.A., Cush, S.S. and Flaño, E. 2010. Persistent g-herpesvirus infection induces a CD4 T cell response containing functionally distinct effector populations. J Immunol 184:3850-3856. |
| Stuller, K.A. and Flaño, E. 2009. CD4 T cell-mediated killing in vivo during persistent gammaherpesvirus 68 infection. J Virol 83:4700-4703. |
| Hwang, S., Kim, K.S, Flaño, E., Wu, T., Tong, L.M., Park, A.N., Song, M.J., Sanchez, D.J., O’Connell, R.M., Cheng, G., and Sun, R. 2009. Conserved herpesviral kinase promotes viral persistence by inhibiting the IRF-3-mediated type I interferon response. Cell Host & Microbe 5:166-178. |
| Cush, S.S. and Flaño, E. 2009. Protective antigen-independent CD8 T cell memory is maintained during g-herpesvirus persistence. J Immunol 182:3995-4004. |
| Flaño, E., Jewell N.A., Durbin R.K., and Durbin J. 2009. Methods Used to Study Respiratory Viruses. (Unit 26.3) In Current Protocols in Cell Biology. J.S. Bonifacino et al., eds. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken, NJ. |
| Flaño, E. 2008 Viral Immunity: It Takes Two to Tango. Viral Immunol 21(3):(in press). |
| Jewell, N.A., Gitiban, N., Mertz, S.E., Akter, P., Stokes Peebles Jr., R., Bakaletz, L.O., Durbin, R.K., Flaño, E., Durbin, J.E. 2007 Differential type I IFN induction by respiratory viruses in vivo. Journal of Virology 81(18):9790-9800. |
| Cush, S.S., Anderson, K.M., Ravneberg, D.H., Weslow-Schmidt,, J.L., Flaño, E. 2007 Memory generation and maintenance of CD8+ T cell function during viral persistence. Journal of Immunology. 179:141-153. |
| Weslow-Schmidt, J., Jewell, N.A., Mertz, S.E., Durbin, J.E., Flaño, E. 2007 Type I IFN inhibition and plasmacytoid dendritic cell activation during respiratory virus infection. Journal of Virology 81(18):9778-89. |
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