Current Lab Members
Professor Malini Raghavan, Ph.D. [email, publications]
Principal Investigator
M.Sc., Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
Ph.D. in Chemistry, Princeton University
Postdoctoral fellowship in Immunology, Caltech
Our research relates to studies of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules, which are key mediators of immune responses against cancer cells and cells infected with intracellular pathogens. Our work spans many aspects of MHC class I biology, including the assembly of common human MHC class I variants, and investigations of the influences of MHC class I assembly patterns upon immune responses to viral infections. We also study the protein calreticulin, which is a "chaperone" in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), dedicated to the folding and assembly of N-linked glycoproteins. Misfolding of N-linked glycoproteins causes a myriad of protein folding diseases. We seek to understand the molecular mechanisms of calreticulin function, towards ameliorating protein folding and lipid accumulation diseases.
Jie Geng [email, publications]
Research Investigator
B.S. in Bioengineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing, China, 2005
Ph.D. in Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2011
Jie's research previously focused on the application of chemical biology toward understanding the pathological mechanism and developing drugs for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. In recent years he has been dedicated to understanding the MHC-I antigen presentation pathways. He is particularly interested in understanding the relationship between HLA-I variations and disease outcomes. He has a son and a daughter who are really lovely. In his free time, he likes playing ping pong.
Aman Kaur [email]
Postdoctoral fellow
M.Sc. in Biotechnology from Panjab University, Chandigarh, India, 2012
Ph.D. from the CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India, 2018
For her doctoral work, Aman studied the regulation of host cell autophagy by mycobacterial factors. Her work in the Raghavan lab focuses on the use of mass spectrometry to study differences in the peptidomes of HLA-B allotypes. She also studies the degradation pathways of myeloproliferative neoplasm-linked calreticulin mutants and their effects on the assembly of HLA-B allotypes. In her free time, Aman enjoys painting, gardening on her patio, and meeting friends.
Eli Olson [email, publications]
Graduate student, Graduate Program in Immunology (third year)
B.S. in Cellular Biology with Departmental Honors, University of Kansas
While at the University of Kansas, Eli worked as an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Dr. Lisa Timmons on RNAi and epigenetic silencing mechanisms in C. elegans. Eli joined the Program in Immunology in Fall 2016, and has since joined the Raghavan lab for his thesis work. His project focuses on mechanisms of post-ER assembly of certain HLA-B allotypes in monocytes and other antigen-presenting cells. Additionally, he will seek to understand whether certain HLA-B allotypes are more efficient at cross-presentation in these cell types.
Oloche Owoicho
Visiting PhD student
Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science from the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria
Master of Science in Molecular Biology and Genomics from the Redeemer’s University, Ede, Nigeria.
Oloche is a PhD student at the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana. He is interested in infectious diseases, especially viral diseases, with a focus on immune evasion by viruses. Oloche’s interest in infectious diseases was inspired by his participation in an immunization programme tagged ‘Kick Polio out of Nigeria’, which made him appreciate the burden of infectious diseases in his immediate environment in Nigeria, even as a teenager. Oloche is researching the HLA-B assembly and downmodulation by viruses. With the visitor-friendly and conducive atmosphere for research at the University of Michigan, Oloche looks forward to contributing significantly to the fight against viral diseases in Africa and the world.
Harini Desikan [email]
Master’s student in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology
B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Wisconsin- Madison
Harini is currently a Master’s student in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Michigan. She is interested in structural studies of a calreticulin somatic mutant linked to myeloproliferative neoplasms and its interaction with the thrombopoietin receptor (Mpl). Additionally, she is interested in the effects of mutant calreticulin on HLA-I trafficking to the cell surface. In her free time she enjoys reading, playing board games, and going on hikes.
Theadora (Teddy) Ceccarelli [email]
Research Assistant
B.S. in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience and a minor in Latin Literature and Language from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2018).
M.S. in Infectious Disease and Immunology from Loyola University, Chicago (2021).
During her time at Loyola, Teddy did a Master’s thesis under Dr. Katherine Radek, studying the modulation of chromogranin A on antimicrobial peptides and the immune response during urinary tract infection. In the Raghavan lab, Teddy works on the assembly, trafficking and functional differences between various HLA-B allotypes. Teddy hopes to pursue a medical degree in the future. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading, waterskiing, and snowboarding.
Avrokin Surnilla [email]
Undergraduate Student, University of Michigan
Avrokin is a second year undergraduate student at the University of Michigan studying Microbiology. He joined Dr. Raghavan’s lab in his first year, focusing on prediction tools (based on artificial neural networks and mass spectroscopy data) and experimental approaches to study differences in peptidome diversities HLA-I allotypes. In his free time, he loves playing ice hockey and watching F1.