Dr. Damian Ekiert Assistant Professor, NYU School of Medicine
Host: Aoife Heaslip
"How microsporidian parasites use harpoons to invade host cells"
Summary: To begin the infection process, microsporidian parasites fire a harpoon-like projectile called the “polar tube” to pierce the plasma membrane of a host cell and then translocate the parasite inside. I will present our latest work towards understanding this invasion process.
Short Bio: BA in Biology, UChicago 2005; PhD at Scripps Research Institute in Ian Wilson’s lab working on broadly neutralizing antibodies against influenza; postdoc with Jeff Cox/Ron Vale studying virulence mechanisms in M. tuberculosis. Started lab in 2017 at NYU School of Medicine
To learn more about Dr. Ekiert and his work visit: https://bhabhaekiertlab.org/
Seminar can be livestreamed at https://www.kaltura.com/index.php/extwidget/preview/partner_id/2090521/uiconf_id/38934061/entry_id/1_904uedgo/embed/dynamic
For more information, contact: Ciara Hanlon at ciara.hanlon@uconn.edu