Blake Caldwell
Track
Research Frontiers
Faculty Mentor
Liwu Li
Professor of of Inflammation Biology and Immunology
Research Focus
I am studying the contribution of epigenetic regulation to innate immune memory. We are used to thinking of adaptive immune memory in the context of vaccines, where exposure to an antigen (for example, the spike protein in COVID-19 vaccines) trains the immune system to engage in a heightened immune response during future exposure events. However, the innate immune system, which serves as the first line of defense against infection, exhibits its own form of memory whereby exposure to a pathogen can augment (train) or tone down (tolerize) cells to react more efficiently to future exposures.
In the lab of Dr. Liwu Li, we study how innate immune memory influences the activity of monocytes, a type of immune cell that circulates in the blood and helps orchestrate the initial immune response. We are particularly interested in a form of memory known as “exhaustion,” whereby prolonged immune activity results in the cells engaging in a mixed (and frequently counterproductive) pro-inflammatory and anti-immune response. This state is commonly observed in sepsis patients. and is believed to underlie the “cytokine storm” phenomenon reported in severe covid cases.
My goal is to determine how epigenetics, or modifications to DNA that don’t alter the actual genetic sequence, helps control monocyte exhaustion, and (hopefully!) to identify druggable targets for therapeutic intervention in patients.
Why did you choose to pursue postdoctoral training at Virginia Tech?
My postdoctoral fellowship at Virginia Tech will allow me to gain new experience in the field of immunology to further my professional goal of becoming a principal investigator at an academic research institution, while simultaneously allowing me to remain close to my family (my fiancé is a professor of biology at Bluefield State University, West Virginia, and my parents live in East Tennessee).
Importantly, the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute’s excellent next-gen sequencing core means I have all the tools I need to conduct cutting-edge epigenetics research right here on campus. I also really like the potential for multidisciplinary connections between the diverse research departments at Virginia Tech, such as our own lab’s collaborations with other Virginia Tech laboratories performing research in gnotobiotic (germ-free) pig models and wild bat populations.
What are you most looking forward to as you begin in this fellowship at Virginia Tech?
Learning new things, be they research techniques or fields of knowledge, is immensely energizing for me. In the past I’ve bounced around such diverse research topics as pulmonary fibrosis, autism, lipid transport in zebrafish, circadian rhythm training in fruit flies, mammalian germline development, epigenetics, etc., and as a result, I’m constantly surprised by the number of connections I’m able to draw between two seemingly unrelated areas of research. I suppose “holistic” is close to the proper term for this, but in any case, I’m excited to tackle a new research subject and see where it takes me!