Ganley-Leal, Lisa, Ph.D.
Ph.D.: University of Connecticut Health Center
Postdoctoral training: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Boston University Medical Center
Dr. Lisa Ganley-Leal’s primary research focus is on defining immune correlates of protection in human schistosomiasis including mechanisms by which IgE and IgE receptors play a role in generating immunity. Her studies in this area are in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kenya Medical Research Institute and the University of Georgia. She is currently collaborating with the Schistosomiasis Control Program in Burkino Faso. To establish a mechanistic understanding of field clinical data, her laboratory developed a model system using human tissue B cells to recapitulate the inflammatory milieu of parasitic helminth disease. In addition, Dr. Ganley-Leal is working on defining the role of Toll-like receptor 2-expressing B cells in the human mucosa. B cells isolated from mucosal tissues demonstrate a different phenotype and response to microbial antigens than those isolated from systemic tissues. These observations have been extended to define how mucosal B cell phenotype and function might be altered in inflammatory bowel disease. Her studies in this area are in collaboration with investigators in the Sections of Gastroenterology and Surgery, and include evaluating patient samples through immunological and immuno-epidemiological techniques.
