Zhijuan Qiu, Ph.D.

zhijuan.qiu@stonybrook.edu
Laboratory of Dr. Brian Sheridan

Ph.D., 2014, University of Connecticut Health Center

I did my graduate work with Dr. Kamal M. Khanna at the University of Connecticut Health Center focusing on the development of T cell-based cancer vaccines utilizing cytomegalovirus as vaccine vector, as well as the function of the nuclear Pregnane X receptor during innate inflammation. I joined Dr. Brian Sheridan's laboratory in 2015 to study mucosal immunology, more specifically, to understand how intestinal mucosal resident memory T cells are generated and maintained after infection with the ultimate goal to advance vaccine development.

Select Honors and Awards:
Charles A. Janeway Memorial Award, New England Immunology Conference, October 2011
American Association of Immunologists Trainee Abstract Award, May 2012
IRACDA NY-CAPS Fellowship, 2017-

Select Publications:
Qiu Z, Huang H, Grenier JM, Perez OA, Smilowitz HM, Adler B and Khanna KM. 2015. Cytomegalovirus-based vaccine expressing a modified tumor antigen induces potent tumor-specific CD8+ T-cell response and protects mice from melanoma. Cancer Immunol. Res. 3(5): 536-546.

Qiu Z, Cervantes JL, Cicek BB, Mukherjee S, Venkatesh M, Maher LA, Salazar JC, Mani S, and KM Khanna. 2016. Pregnane X receptor regulates pathogen-induced inflammation and host defense against an ontracellular bacterial infection through Toll-like receptor 4. Sci. Rep. 6:31936. doi: 10.1038/srep31936.

Qiu Z, Grenier JM, and Khanna KM. 2015. Reviving virus based cancer vaccines by using cytomegalovirus vectors expressing modified tumor antigens.OncoImmunology. DOI: 10.1018/2162402X.2015.1056974.

Romagnoli PA, Fu HH, Qiu Z, Khairallah C, Pham QM, Puddington L, Khanna KM, Lefrancois L and BS Sheridan. 2016. Differentiation of distinct long-lived memory CD4 T cells in intestinal tissues after oral Listeria monocytogenes infection. Mucosal Immunol. doi: 10.1038/mi.2016.66.

Venkatesh M, Mukherjee S, Wang H, Li H, Sun K, Benechet AP, Qiu Z, Maher L, Redinbo MR, Phillips RS, Fleet JC, Kortagere S, Mukherjee P, Fasano A, Le Ven J, Nicholson JK, Dumas ME, Khanna KM, and S Mani. 2014. Symbiotic bacterial metabolites regulate gastrointestinal barrier function via the xenobiotic sensor PXR and Toll-like receptor 4. Immunity. 41:296-310. 

Select Oral Presentations:
Northern Immunological Mountain Society Annual Meeting, Bolton VT, September 2010
Department of Immunology Annual Retreat, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington CT, 2010
American Association of Immunologists Annual Meeting, Boston MA, May 2012
Graduate Student Research Day, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington CT, 2013