Mark D. Hicar MD, PhD

Currently, the HIV field is in desperate need for greater knowledge regarding the mechanisms involved in induction of neutralizing antibodies and mucosal immune responses against HIV. In my career I hope to become an accomplished physician-scientist who significantly impacts both the fields of lymphocyte development and HIV infection. Mucosal immune responses are of particular interest since they are so vital in the first line of defense in HIV and most other viral infections. My current work will advance my own and the fields’ knowledge of antibody production and mucosal responses during active infection and be particularly beneficial to the HIV field. After these initial studies during the early years of my faculty appointment, I hope to pursue fundamental investigator-initiated studies of the influence of adaptive immune repertoires on the functional response to specific pathogens. This work will lay the foundation to design better immunogens that elicit enhanced antibody activity from vaccination.