Ben Matta
Year started program: 2006
Program name: Immunology
2003 - BS - Biology, Penn State University

I chose the University of Pittsburgh Interdisciplinary Biomedical Graduate Program because it gave me the opportunity to pursue several research interests prior to choosing a lab for my dissertation. While gaining exposure to many aspects of biomedical science and research through coursework, I was able to find the perfect lab to develop my research skills through several lab rotations during the first year and ended up finding a lab that best aligned with my interests and career goals. In addition, the University of Pittsburgh Interdisciplinary Biomedical Graduate Program is comprised of internationally-known and respected faculty who continue to submit highly-competitive grants and publish in high-impact journals. Overall, this program offered me the most ideal plan for starting and building my career in biomedical research and it also provides a unique environment to foster critical thinking and to facilitate cutting-edge science.

In the setting of organ transplantation, high doses of immunosuppressive drugs are required to prevent graft rejection. Their prolonged administration can result in drug toxicity and lead to the development opportunistic infections and even cancer. Our lab focuses on the potential for dendritic cells (DC) to be used as a negative cellular vaccine strategy to promote tolerance to transplanted organs. My project is centered on the recently described plasmacytoid subset of dendritic cells (pDC) which are the body's key immune mediators in anti-viral immunity. pDC express a variety of inhibitory molecules, including programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1), which may be critical in their capacity to promote tolerance. I am interested in understanding how PD-L1 and inhibitory molecules like this regulate immune responses mediated by T cells, but also how reverse signaling into the pDC affects their function.

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