Michael Battaglia

Respiratory tract infections, particularly bacterial pneumonia, are one of the most common causes of death worldwide. Streptococcus pneumoniae exists as a major contributor to bacterial pneumoniae despite the introduction of antibiotics and vaccinations, with high risk for serious disease and death, especially in aged individuals. The initial immune response to S. pneumoniae is largely mediated by neutrophils, a short-lived innate immune cell, which can become dysfunctional with aging. My work focuses on understanding the normal response neutrophils elicit in response to S. pneumoniae.

Previous work has shown that the ability of neutrophils to kill S. pneumoniae is dependent on production mitochondrially produced reactive oxygen species in a manner that is modulated by extracellular adenosine signaling, a damage response pathway. The goal of this project is to elucidate the mechanisms by which mitochondrial reactive oxygen species mediate clearance of S. pneumoniae and the mechanisms that result in their production. 

• Elsa Bou Ghanem, PhD

• PhD, SUNY Buffalo, New York
• BS, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Ohio