The Subramanian Lab, led by Dr. Naeha Subramanian, seeks to extend investigations into innate immunity and NLR function using a combination of imaging, microarray, proteomic and bioinformatics approaches.
Dr. Naeha Subramanian working int he lab at ISB. Photo credit: Scott Eklund / Red Box Pictures.
Inflammation is associated with most human diseases, including autoinflammatory, autoimmune, metabolic, and infectious diseases. The Subramanian Lab, with NIH funding, studies one of the most critical parts of our innate immune system – the protein NLRP3 – whose activation triggers our immune response. Understanding how it does this, which is not well known, is key to future inflammation-targeted therapies.
Members of Dr. Naeha Subramanian’s lab hold a slide with a section of mouse pancreas. It is being imaged for T1D research. Photo credit: Scott Eklund / Red Box Pictures.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 1.7 million adults and 300,000 children have type 1 diabetes, a chronic pancreatic condition where the immune system destroys insulin-producing cells. How and why this occurs is unknown. The Subramanian Lab, with NIH funding, is investigating what they believe to be the critical role of the immune protein NLRP3 in this process. Understanding this could unlock new avenues for treatment and prevention.
Scanning electron micrograph of Salmonella Typhimurium invading a human epithelial cell. Image credit: NIAID, recolored by ISB.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates there are 1.35 million U.S. Salmonella infections annually, with infants, older adults, and immunocompromised individuals most at risk for severe infections. The Subramanian Lab, with NIH funding, has discovered that salmonella “cross-talks” with our immune system to conceal itself and resist treatment. These insights can inform the development of therapies to combat this emerging drug resistance threat.
Hand holding a glass tube containing a tick. Photo credit: Marino Linic, Unsplash, recolored by ISB.
Lyme disease, with 500,000 annual U.S. cases, cannot be quickly diagnosed and can become disabling. The Subramanian Lab, with DoD funding, is tracking the immune response to Lyme disease in patients over time to define molecular and cellular transitions in acute disease and understand why some individuals progress to long-term disease. These insights are critical for improving diagnosis and treatment.
Researchers have identified several factors that can be measured at the initial point of COVID-19 diagnosis that anticipate if a patient is likely to develop long COVID. They also found that mild cases of COVID-19, not just severe cases, are associated with long COVID. Their findings were published by the journal Cell.
It’s Lyme disease season in many areas of the United States, including the Northeast, the Midwest, and some places on the West Coast. In our latest Research Roundtable event, ISB Associate Professor Dr. Naeha Subramanian discussed the latest Lyme disease research conducted in her lab.
Dr. Naeha Subramanian – an expert in immunology, innate immunity, and host-pathogen interactions, and head of ISB’s Subramanian Lab – has been promoted to Associate Professor. “I am honored with this promotion and excited about the incredible research being conducted in my lab. It is a pleasure and privilege to tackle exciting questions everyday,” she said.
Associate Professor
ISB