Hello
everyone this is Benni Vargas and I am a 4th year MIMG student. I am currently doing summer research under the
CARE SEM Summer Research Program. I recently got into MARC and I am doing
research in Dr. Robert L. Modlin’s lab in BSRB in room 246.
Using leprosy as a model, our research is concerned with
the responses stimulated
in B cells as measured by cellular proliferation in tuberculoid leprosy versus
lepromatous leprosy. We hope to gain insight into the role B cells play in the
immune response to Mycobacterium leprae, an
intracellular pathogen that causes leprosy.
This information may provide new possibilities for advancement of
treatments for various human diseases.
We have
had numerous attempts in creating a positive control for B cell stimulation. We
need a positive control in order to confirm that indeed B cells are being
stimulated in the presence of M. leprae.
To do this, we have isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from
blood, isolated B cells from those PBMCs, and plated the B cells with various
stimulatory reagents in hopes of getting them to proliferate.
Hopefully
soon after we establish our positive control we can actually do some
experiments with M. leprae!
It has
been quite an experience so far here at the Modlin lab. At first I was working
very dependently with my direct mentor. Now, I am becoming more independent. In
fact I am doing an experiment by myself tomorrow! My direct mentor is gone for
clinical duties tomorrow and it is up to me to carry out this experiment. This
will be fun.
In the
picture below I am isolating PBMCs from blood. The PBMCs are at the interphase
between the ficoll (colorless) layer and the plasma (orange) layer:
In the picture below I have
plated my B cells with various concentrations and combinations of stimulatory
reagents such as immunoglobulin H + L, CD40 antibody, and immunoglobulin M
antibody. Sorry for the picture quality (I used flash)!
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