Ashley Sandy
e-mail address: asandy@umich.edu

Mentor: Ivan Maillard, MD, PhD

Research Description

Notch signaling is essential during early stages of T cell development and can control peripheral T cell immunity with context-dependent effects. We use strict genetic loss-of-function approaches to study the role of Notch signaling in different T cell-mediated disorders. Specifically, we have identified Notch as a new critical regulator of donor-derived alloreactive T cells mediating graft-versus-host-disease after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation and myelin-reactive T cells during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. My project involves determining the signaling networks that are defective in Notch-deficient mature T cells in different T cell-mediated disorders and linking these biochemical defects back to direct Notch transcriptional targets.  

What is evident from our research is that Notch signaling has potent but context-dependent effects in mature T cells.

Publications

Yi Zhang, AR Sandy, et al., 2011. Notch signaling is a critical regulator of allogeneic CD4+ T cell responses mediating graft-versus-host disease. Blood 117: 299-308.

Sandy AR, Jones M, and Maillard I, 2010.  Notch signaling and development of the hematopoietic system.  Reichrath J and Reichrath S (Eds.).  Notch signaling in embryology and cancer. Austin:  Landes Bioscience and Springer Science+Business Media.

Denny, MF, Yalavarthi, S, Zhao, W, Thacker, SG, Anderson, M, Sandy, AR, McCune, WJ, Kaplan, MJ., 2010.  A distinct subset of proinflammatory neutrophils isolated from patients with system lupus erythematosus induces vascular damage and synthesizes type I IFNs.  J Immunol.  184(6): 3284-3297.

Abstracts

Ivy T. Tran, Ashley R. Sandy, Alexis Carulli, Gloria T. Shan, Vedran Radojcic, Ann Friedman, Amy Shelton, Linda Samuelson, Minhong Yan, Christian W. Siebel, Ivan Maillard. In vivo blockade of individual Notch ligands and receptors provides a new targeted therapeutic approach in graft-versus- host disease. American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition, San Diego, CA, December 2011.

Ashley R. Sandy, Jooho Chung, Ivy Tran, Gloria T. Shan, Ann Friedman, Philip King, Yi Zhang, Ivan Maillard. Notch signaling critically regulates CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. The Notch Meeting, Athens, Greece, October 2011.

Ashley R. Sandy, Ivy Tran, Gloria T. Shan, Ann Friedman, Jina Wang,  Koji Kato, Shan He, Elizabeth Hexner, Stephen G. Emerson, Warren S.  Pear, Yi Zhang and Ivan Maillard. Notch Signaling is a Critical Regulator of Allogeneic T cell Responses Mediated Graft-versus-Host Disease. Oral and poster presentation. Autumn Immunology Conference, Chicago, IL, November 2010.

Ashley R. Sandy, Gloria T. Shan, Ivy Tran, Ann Friedman, Jina Wang, Shan He, Elizabeth Hexner, Dale Frank, Stephen G. Emerson, Warren S.  Pear, Yi Zhang, and Ivan Maillard. "Notch signaling critically regulates multiple effector functions of alloreactive T cells during graft-versus-host disease." Gene expression and signaling in the immune system Cold Spring Harbor Conference, April 2010.

Awards

The Miller Fund Award for Innovative Immunology Research, May 2011

Monte V. Hobbs Student Award, May 2011

Rackham Graduate Student Research Grant, January 2011

Rackham Conference Travel Grant, October 2010
                                 
Rackham Conference Travel Grant, March 2010       
                                
Rackham Graduate Student Research Grant, Fall 2009          
                
MAAS Deans Fellowship, Fall 2008

ASBMB/FASEB Travel Award, Fall 2007