Jason Kay

Jason Kay

Jason Kay

Associate Professor

Department of Oral Biology

School of Dental Medicine


Specialty/Research Focus

Apoptosis and cell death; Image Processing and Analysis; Immunology; Inflammation; Lipid Homeostasis; Microbial Pathogenesis; Microbiology; Molecular and Cellular Biology; Molecular Basis of Disease; Oral Biology; Oral Biology; Signal Transduction

Contact Information
545 Biomedical Research Building
3435 Main Street
Buffalo, New York 14214
Phone: 716 829 2073
Fax: 716 829 2387
jasonkay@buffalo.edu



Education and Training:

  • Fellowship, Hospital for Sick Children (2013)
  • Fellowship, University of Queensland (2008)
  • PhD, Molecular Cell Biology, University of Queensland (2007)
  • MS, Molecular Microbiology, University of Calgary (2000)
  • BS, Biochemistry, University of Calgary (1998)

Employment:

  • Research Associate Professor, Microbiology and Immunology, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (2023-present)
  • Associate Professor, Oral Biology, University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine (2020-present)
  • Assistant Professor, Oral Biology, University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine (2013–2019)

Awards and Honors:

  • Dean's Commendation (2008)
  • Keystone Macrophage conference travel award (2007)
  • ASMR Queensland Award for Health and Medical Research (Finalist) (2006)

Research Expertise:

  • Cell Biology
  • Immunology
  • pathogen-host interactions
  • Phagocytosis


Professional Memberships:

  • American Dental Education Association (2023–present)
  • American Society for Microbiology (2017–present)
  • Society for Leukocyte Biology (2014–present)
  • International Association for Dental Research (2013–present)
  • American Association for Dental Research (2013–present)
  • American Society for Cell Biology (2008–present)

Presentations:

  • "Macrophage-Commensal Dynamics Under Inflammatory Activation." International Association for Dental Research Annual Meeting; International Association for Dental Research (2019)
  • "IL-34 Alters Macrophage Killing Ability" Buffalo Conference on Microbial Pathogenesis; Witebsky Center, University at Buffalo (2019)
  • "Macrophage-Commensal Dynamics Under Inflammatory Activation." Buffalo Conference on Microbial Pathogenesis; Witebsky Center, University at Buffalo (2019)
  • "Candida albicans Pathogenic Phenotypes are Modified by Bacterial Interactions." SDM annual Research Day; School of Dental Medicine, University at Buffalo (2019)
  • "Macrophage-Commensal Dynamics During Inflammation." SDM annual Research Day; School of Dental Medicine, University at Buffalo (2019)
  • "Inflammatory Activation Alters Macrophage-Commensal Dynamics." Society for Leukocyte Biology Annual Meeting; Society for Leukocyte Biology (2018)
  • "An Investigation of Commensal-Immune Interactions Altered by Oral Pathogens." SUNY Genesco undergraduate research day; SUNY Genesco (2018)
  • "Inflammatory Activation Alters Macrophage-Commensal Dynamics" Annual Buffalo Conference on Microbial Pathogenesis,; University at Buffalo; Witebsky Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology (2018)
  • "Candida albicans RAS1 modulates survival within human neutrophils" American Association for Dental Research Annual Meeting; American Association for Dental Research (2018)
  • "Imaging phagosomal survival of commensal oral microbes." 20th Annual Upstate New York Immunology Conference; Upstate New York Immunology (2017)
  • "Ratiometric Imaging to Measure Phagosome Escape of Oral Microbes" 29th Annual Buffalo Conference on Microbial Pathogenesis; ; The Witebsky Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology (2017)
  • "Candida albicans stress response MAPKinases protect from Phagocytic Killing" American Association for Dental Research Annual Meeting; American Association for Dental Research (2017)
  • "Determining the Fate of Phagocytosed Porphyromonas gingivalis" American Association for Dental Research Annual Meeting; American Association for Dental Research (2017)
  • "Changing landscapes: oral commensal survival within phagocytes" Mark Wilson Conference; ; Oral Immunology/Microbiology Research group (2017)
  • "When good bugs go bad: Oral Microbes Resisting phagocytic Destruction" Seminar series; University at Buffalo; Microbiology and Immunology (2017)
  • "Determining the Fate of Phagocytosed Porphyromonas gingivalis" Annual Research Day; University at Buffalo; School of Dental Medicine (2017)
  • "Determining the Fate of Phagocytosed Porphyromonas gingivalis." American Association of Women Dentists Annual Meeting; American Association of Women Dentists (2017)
  • "Effects of IL-34 vs M-CSF maturation on macrophage interactions with Porphyromonas gingivalis" Annual Research Day; University at Buffalo; School of Dental Medicine (2017)
  • "Ratiometric Imaging to Measure Phagosome Escape of Oral Microbes" 2nd Annual Immune Imaging Symposium; University of Rochester; Program for Advanced Immune Bioimaging (2016)
  • "Avoidance of Phagocytic Destruction by Strptococcus gordonii" 28th Annual Buffalo Conference on Microbial Pathogenesis; University at Buffalo; The Witebsky Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology (2016)
  • "Sorting Nexins in Phagosomal Maturation" 2015-16 Biology honors program presentations; University at Buffalo; Department of Biology (2016)
  • "Avoidance of Phagocytic Destruction by Streptococcus gordonii" 2016 General Session; American Association for Dental Research (2016)
  • "Factors Affecting Candida albicans Phagocytosis and Killing by Phagocytic Cells" 2016 General Session; American Association for Dental Research (2016)
  • "AbpA may protect Streptococcus gordonii from oxidative stress" Student Research Day; University at Buffalo; School of Dental Medicine (2016)
  • "Determining the Fate of Internalized Porphyromonas gingivalis within Phagocytic Cells" Student Research Day; University at Buffalo; School of Dental Medicine (2016)
  • "Understanding the relationship between Rab 5 GTPase and protein Sorting Nexin 8 in phagocytosis" Annual poster session; University at Buffalo; CLIMB UP for Summer Research at University at Buffalo (2015)
  • "Determining the Fate of Internalized Porphyromonas gingivalis within Phagocytic Cells" 2015 Summer Biomedical Student Research Day; University at Buffalo (2015)
  • "Sorting Nexin Proteins Involvement in Phagocytosis and Effects on Phagosome Maturation" 2014-15 Biology honors program presentations; University at Buffalo; Department of Biology (2015)
  • "Evasion of Phagosomal Destruction by S. gordonii" 2015 Buffalo Immunology Conference; The Witebsky Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology (2015)
  • "Cholesterol dictates the subcellular distribution of phosphatidylserine" Lysosomes and Endocytosis; Gordon Research Conferences (2014)
  • "mTOR is Required for Lysosome Tubulation and MHCII Trafficking in Macrophages and Dendritic Cells" Lysosomes and Endocytosis; Gordon Research Conferences (2014)
  • "Recruitment of Sorting Nexin to the Maturing Phagosome" 2013-14 Biology honors program presentations; University at Buffalo; Department of Biology (2014)
  • "Role of lipids and lysosomes in innate immunity; insights from advanced live imaging of macrophages" Invited Speaker; University of Louiseville; Center for Oral Health and Systemic Disease (2013)
  • "Role of lipids and lysosomes in innate immunity; insights from advanced live imaging of macrophages" Invited speaker; University of Alberta; School of Dentistry (2012)
  • "Role of lipids and lysosomes in innate immunity; insights from advanced live imaging of macrophages" Invited speaker; University at Buffalo; Department of Oral Biology (2012)
  • "Characterization of Phosphatidylserine Dynamics in Membranes of Live Cells" Gordon Research Conference - Lysosomes and Endocytosis; Gordon Research Conferences; Lysosomes and Endocytosis (2012)
  • "The Role of Arl8b and Rab7 GTPases in Lysosome Tubulation" American Society for Cell Biology Annual Meeting (2011)
  • "Phosphatidylserine Dynamics in Cellular Membranes" Gordon Research Conference - Molecular and Cellular Biology of Lipids; ; Molecular and Cellular Biology of Lipids (2011)
  • "A Diffusional Barrier in the Phagocytic Cup" American Society for Cell Biology Annual Meeting; American Society for Cell Biology (2009)
  • "Dual Roles for the Recycling Endosome in Phagocytosis" Gordon Research Conference - Lysosomes and Endocytosis; ; Lysosomes and Endocytosis (2008)
  • "Imaging Cytokine Secretion in Macrophages: Imaging to demonstrate subdomains of the recycling endosome" Hunter Cellular Biology Meeting (2008)
  • "Protein Kinase A in the Regulation of Macrophage Apolipotprotein E Trafficking and Secretion" Hunter Cellular Biology Meeting (2008)
  • "Modification of the Phagocytic Cup by Lipid Rafts" Keystone Macrophage conference (2007)
  • "Differential Requirement for Recycling Endosome in Phagocytosis and Cytokine Secretion" Australasian Society for Immunology 37th Annual Scientific Meeting (2007)
  • "Cytokine Secretion, Phagocytosis and Cholesterol" Queensland Premier Awards for Health and Medical Research (2006)
  • "Lipid Raft Dependence of Cytokine Secretion and Phagocytosis in Macrophages" Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology ComBio (2006)
  • "Caveolin in the Hippocampus and its Interaction with SNAREs" Society for Neuroscience 32nd Annual Meeting; Society for Neuroscience (2002)
  • "Distinct modes of action by the J domain and the cysteine string domain of CSP modulate G protein function" Society for Neuroscience 32nd annual Meeting (2002)
  • "Molecular basis of the modulation of calcium channel function by cysteine string protein" Society for Neuroscience 32nd annual Meeting (2002)
  • "Caveolin in the Hippocampus and its Interaction with SNAREs" Alberta Neuroscience Conference (2002)
  • "Biodegradation of C5+ Hydrocarbon Compounds by Aerobic and Anaerobic Communities Enriched from Pyrolysis Plant Soils" Canadian Society of Microbiology Annual Meeting (2000)
  • "Soil Microbial Community Responses to Incubation in C5+ Followed by DCPD" Canadian Society of Microbiology Annual Meeting (2000)
  • "Characterisation of C5+ Degrading Microbial Communities from Soil" Canadian Society of Microbiology Annual Meeting (1999)
See all (43 more)

Service Activities:

  • Member, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and EDI search committee; Member (2023–present)
  • Voting Faculty committee; Chair (2023–present)
  • NIH Study Section ZRG1 CB-J (30) (High-End and Shared Instrumentation Grants); Member (2022)
  • NIH Study Section ZRG1 CB-J (90) (High-End and Shared Instrumentation Grants); Member (2022)
  • Faculty search committee, Department of Microbiology and Immunology; Member (2022–2023)
  • UUP Buffalo HSC Bylaws committee; Member (2021–2022)
  • Voting faculty committee; Vice-Chair (2021–2023)
  • Voting Faculty committee; Secretary (2020–2021)
  • Molecular Oral Microbiology editorial board; Member (2020–present)
  • School of Dental Medicine, Student Research and Honors Committee; Vice chair (2019–2021)
  • Faculty search committee; Member (2019)
  • Graduate School Health Sciences Divisional Committee; Chair (2018–present)
  • Core Director Search committee Search committee to find core director for new SDM-managed Confocal microscopy core; Chair (2018)
  • Environment and Microbiome (GEM) Community of Excellence pilot proposals; Member, review committee (2017)
  • Ad hoc reviewer for following journals: Microbiology, Oral Diseases, PLoS ONE, Traffic, Journal of Leukocyte Biology, Journal of Periodontology, BBA – Biomembranes.; Reviewer (2016–present)
  • Faculty search committee; Member (2016–2017)
  • AADR Buffalo Section; President (2016–2017)
  • School of Dental Medicine, Admissions Committee; Member (2015–present)
  • School of Dental Medicine, Graduate Committee, D.D.S./Ph.D.; Member (2015–present)
  • Society for Leukocyte Biology - Membership committee; Member (2015–2020)
  • AADR Buffalo Section; Treasurer (2015–2016)
  • School of Dental Medicine, Graduate Committee, Preliminary Exams; Member (2015)
  • External Thesis Examiner Thesis examiner for Xiaying Qi, University of Queensland; Examiner (2015)
  • School of Dental Medicine, Graduate Committee, Preliminary Exams; Member (2015)
  • Student Research and Honors Committee; Member (2014–present)
  • Oral Biology Seminar Series; Coordinator (2014–2019)
  • School of Dental Medicine, Graduate Committee, D.D.S./Ph.D.; Member (2014–present)
  • AADR Buffalo Section; Secretary (2014–2015)
  • SDM Dental Medicine research day; Poster Judge (2014–present)
  • School of Dental Medicine, Graduate Committee, Preliminary Exams; Member (2013–2014)

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Contact Information

545 Biomedical Research Building
3435 Main Street
Buffalo, New York 14214
Phone: 716 829 2073
Fax: 716 829 2387
jasonkay@buffalo.edu