Bryan Fleming

Present Position: Graduate Student, PhD Candidate

Previous Position: Assistant Research Scientist, LeukoSight, Inc.

Undergraduate: University of Maryland, College Park 2006; BS in Microbiology

Research interests: Characterization of the tumor associated macrophage (TAM) and identification of various biomarkers

Research Summary:

My research focuses on the rare instances where the macrophage response can hurt the host and actually add to disease progression.  It is possible that in pandemic flu and Ebola that the macrophages mount such a strong inflammatory response that the host dies.  For my first project, I am working with Dr. Perez (Flu) and USAMRIID (Ebola) to understand the cytokine response of macrophages to these diseases and try to induce the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines.  This research is important because it may give people suffering from these diseases the time required for their adaptive immune system to become activated and the virus to be cleared.  The other project I am working on falls at the opposite spectrum of macrophage activation.  During tumor formation, the tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) create an anti-inflammatory micro-environment.  I am working to isolate TAMs and characterize their cytokine productions and their gene transcription.  By characterizing these activated macrophages it may be possible to stimulate the inflammatory response that is required for the immune system to combat the tumor.