Alex Boyden is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Nitin Karandikar's laboratory.  Alex submitted a poster entitled "Neuroantigen-specific CD8 T cells inhibit ongoing demyelinating disease by autoregulating CD4 T cell responses using temporally distinct IFNγ- and perforin-dependent mechanisms" which was selected as a most outstanding entry for the Carver College of Medicine Health Sciences Research Week poster competition.

Ashley Brate, Alex Boyden and Shailesh Shahi were selected for podium presentations as well as travel awards at the upcoming meeting of the American Association of Immunology in Austin, TX.

Ashley Brate has received the Graduate College Post-Comprehensive Research Award. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system characterized by the infiltration of immune cells across the blood-brain barrier. Alexander W. Boyden has been awarded a Postdoc Travel Award for Fall 2016 by the University of Iowa Postdoctoral Association for his research in Nitin J. Karandikar’s laboratory. Farah Itani received the Ada Louisa Ballard and Seashore Dissertation Fellowship for the spring 2017 semester. This award is offered by the graduate college and provides an opportunity for doctoral students to benefit from a final semester of protected and supported time to focus on the writing of their dissertations. Ms. Itani is a PhD student in the Immunology program, doing her doctoral thesis work in Dr. Nitin Karandikar's laboratory.

At the Center for Immunology and Immune-based Diseases 5th Annual Retreat, Ms. Itani received a travel award for her poster presentation and work pertaining to CD8 T cell regulation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the animal model of multiple sclerosis.