Bryna Burrell
e-mail address: brynburr@umich.edu

Mentor: Keith Bishop, PhD

Research Description

The CD40:CD40L interaction has proved to be a key step in T cell costimulation. However, most studies examining this pathway use anti-CD40L mAb to “block” this interaction, leaving the individual contribution of CD40 and the antigen presenting cell poorly defined. One area of my research is to assess the impact of agonistic anti-CD40 mAb treatment on both B cell and T cell responses in vitro , in vivo , and on cardiac allograft pathology. Another area is to investigate the role of an alternate costimulatory pathway, the OX40:OX40L interaction, and its ability to override the tolerance established by blocking the CD40:CD40L pathway.

Publications

Collins, J.T., J. Shi, B.E. Burrell, D.K. Bishop, W.A. Dunnick. CD40 ligation-induced IgG2a expression. (Submitted).

Abstracts

Burrell, B.E. , G. Lu, D.K. Bishop. 2005. Differential responses to CD40 perturbation in mice lacking CD40L vs. mice treated with anti-CD40L therapy. 6 th Annual Great Lakes Transplant Immunology Forum, Pittsburgh , PA , November 4-5. (Oral Presentation).

Burrell, B.E. , G. Lu, D.K. Bishop. 2006. Consequences of CD40 perturbation independent of CD40 ligand engagement in allograft rejection. World Transplant Congress, Boston , MA , July 22-27. (Oral Presentation).

Burrell, B.E. , G. Lu, D.K. Bishop. 2006. CD40 stimulated B cells, alloantibodies, and cardiac allograft pathology. World Transplant Congress, Boston , MA , July 22-27. (Poster Presentation).