Event

Please join us on November 25th for a Work-In-Progress talk from Dr. Elsa Bou Ghanem.

"Targeting the extracellular adenosine pathway to control Streptococcus pneumoniae infection in aged hosts"

Despite the availability of vaccines and antibiotics, Streptococcus pneumoniae infections remain a serious cause of mortality and morbidity, particularly in senior individuals above 65 years of age. This calls for a better understanding of the underlying pathways driving immune-senescence in aged hosts rendering them susceptible to infections. Polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs), also known as neutrophils, are crucial for host defense against S. pneumoniae lung infection. We found that the extracellular adenosine (EAD) pathway controlled the antibacterial function of these cells. EAD is produced as a break-down product of ATP by two ecto-nucleotidases, CD39 and CD73, and signals via four G-protein coupled receptors, A1, A2A, A2B and A3. The objective of this study was to explore the age-driven changes in EAD pathway and its impact on PMN responses to S. pneumoniae using both mouse models of pneumococcal pneumonia and primary neutrophils isolated from young and elderly human volunteers.


These informal talks are part of the GEM Work-in-Progress series held at 4:00 p.m. on the 4th Monday of each month. Talks will take place in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Building, located at 955 Main St. on UB's Downtown Campus. The speaker schedule is available on the GEM website: www.buffalo.edu/gem.

If you would like to present at a GEM Work-in-Progress session, let us know (coe-gem@buffalo.edu) and we will get you onto the schedule.

Miriam Thomas
Email: msthomas@buffalo.edu
Phone: 7168293890