Leigh Martinuzzi

Brain Immunology An insightful conversation with John Lukens discussing brain immunology. John explains how the interactions between the immune and nervous systems will lead to an improved understanding of complex neurological disorders in humans. The more we understand the better we may live. Guest Bio. John received his PhD from the University of Virginia in 2008 for his work describing roles for PD-1 and functional T cell exhaustion in persistent liver infection. For his postdoctoral training, John worked in the laboratory of Dr. Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital where he identified molecular pathways involved in innate cytokine production. In Fall 2014, John returned to UVA to launch his lab in the Department of Neuroscience and the Center for Brain Immunology and Glia (BIG). His group is focused on understanding how inflammasomes and immune-based genomic sensors contribute to neurodevelopmental, psychiatric, and neurodegenerative disorders.