Minkah Lab
Immunoregulatory networks in the liver operate at steady state to limit aberrant responses to dietary and benign gut microbiota derived antigens. However, the liver is also a target for globally relevant pathogens including Plasmodium parasites and the hepatitis viruses. As such, the liver must also employ mechanisms to override steady state immune tolerance to induce protective immunity.
The primary goal of the Minkah lab is to discover and define mechanisms that dictate the generation of durable, protective liver-resident memory T cell responses. Observations from our studies will guide the rational design of highly efficacious malaria vaccines and immune-directed therapies against hepatic maladies.
Principal Investigator
Nana Minkah, PhD
Dr. Minkah is a scientist at the Center for Global Infectious Disease Research at Seattle Children’s Research Institute and an Assistant Professor in the department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington. His group aims to understand how hepatic innate immunity can be harnessed to improve immune-directed therapies against liver disease and globally relevant hepatotropic pathogens. Additionally, the Minkah lab aims to foster an inclusive and welcoming research environment where each person feels valued and respected to do impactful work.