Heth R. Turnquist, PhD
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Associate Professor of Surgery and Immunology
BS, South Dakota State University; PhD, Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska
*Additional Research Areas
Cytokine immunobiology
Innate immune cell regulation of immunity and tolerance
Transplant immunology
Alarmins
Characterization and application of regulatory immune cells in transplantation
Tissue injury and repair
The Turnquist lab works to decipher how immune cells interact with damaged tissue after injury caused by trauma and organ transplantation. We are particularly focused on gaining a better understanding of how "alarmins", or typically sequestered self-derived immunomodulatory molecules regulate the immune system to orchestrate specific outcomes. The majority of our efforts use transgenic and knockout mice in pre-clinical models of solid organ and bone marrow transplantation, as well as tissue injury and systemic trauma. In collaborative efforts, we are working to translate our basic discoveries into novel biologics and cell therapies designed to resolve immune mediated pathology, as well as identify effective biomarkers of disease states in transplantation.
