Research Focus
Susanta Pahari, Ph.D., has nearly ten years of training in Tuberculosis (TB) immunology, focusing on macrophage biology and aging. During his doctoral research, he discovered new mechanisms and signaling pathways that restrict the survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) in macrophages as well as murine and guinea pig models. His current research involves determining the impact of the aging lung on the immune system and addressing how alterations in alveolar macrophage (AM) biology during aging influence the increased risk of the elderly to airborne infections by studying human, non-human primate and rodent model systems. In another study, he recently developed cell culture conditions for generating human alveolar macrophages in vitro. This will be a new technical innovation in lung biology by having an easily accessible model to study infectious diseases.
Expertise
- Cellular immunology
- Macrophage biology, Infection biology
- Working with mouse/human primary cells (monocytes, alveolar macrophages, monocyte-derived macrophages)
- Working with human, non-human primate and rodent aging model systems
Main Technologies and Methods Used
- Multicolor flow cytometry and cell sorting,
- qRT-PCR,
- Seahorse XFe96 Analyzer,
- Confocal microscopy,
- Western blot,
- Luminex assay,
- ELISA,
- Cytation 5 live cell imaging
Funding
- Texas Biomed Cowles Postdoctoral Fellowship 2021 Award.
- Texas Biomed Forum Postdoctoral Fellowship 2022 Award.
- IN-TRAC Pilot Grant 2023 award.