Inflammation Lab People
Inflammation Lab at Â鶹´«Ã½, Spring 2020 (technically winter, about 3 weeks before COVID lockdown!)
Principal Investigator
Nicholas Pullen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Nick Pullen grew up in the and finished a B.S. in Biology (2005) at in the nearby . His first project was as an undergrad in the lab of (JMU), doing work on neurodegenerative pathologies like Parkinson's Disease. In
grad school he transitioned into studying the roles of matrix metalloproteinases,
their inhibitors (TIMPs), and nitric oxide in cancer, specifically glioblastoma. In
2010 he received a Ph.D. in Anatomy & Neurobiology from for this work under the guidance of . From 2010 to 2012 Nick was a postdoctoral fellow sponsored by the . He did work on cell signaling associated with the high-affinity IgE receptor in
mast cells, among many other projects on inflammation, in the lab of . Part of his IRACDA time was spent in professional development and research on teaching
college STEM, and then a teaching assignment in chemistry at Elizabeth City State
University on the of North Carolina. After a few years as a professor at a rural liberal arts college
in , Nick landed at Â鶹´«Ã½ where his lab studies inflammation, he teaches some awesome students,
and enjoys the great Colorado outdoors.
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Graduate Students
Cari Keyser
M.S. in Biological Sciences
Cari Keyser is pursuing her Master's in Biological Sciences. She is passionate about
biological research and its connection to human health. Cari obtained her Bachelor's
in Biology from in Spokane, Washington where she grew up. During her time at Eastern, she completed
research on cryoprotectants and their effects on plant roots to produce a viable way
for preserving food sources in lab. She gained field experience live trapping small mammals to study their population
structure in the Eastern Washington area with lab. Her primary areas of research interest include cancer biology and immunology.
In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors, photography, and reading.
Ellie Pell
M.S. in BiologicalSciences
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Undergraduate Researchers
Current Undergraduate Researchers:
Grace Doerner
Lizzy Moriarty
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Recent Lab Alums
David Lyons, Ph.D. (Biological Education)
Dr. Lyons completed his . He attended the University of Arizona with double majors in Molecular/Cellular
Biology and Japanese Language. His Â鶹´«Ã½ research was on the mechanisms of trained
immunity on mast cell activation, particularly the roles of TGF-β1 with other agonists
of mast cell cytokine release such as IL-33, Toll-like receptors, and, of course,
IgE. He found that TGF-β1 induces mast cell production of IL-6 independent of other
stimuli, and that mast cells also upregulate expression of IL-1β and IL-18 independent
of the NLRP3 inflammasome. He's back in Arizona getting started on a career in biotech.
Papers at Â鶹´«Ã½:
TGF-β1 and mast cells ()
Alternative activation of mast cells
Arjun Ramani, M.S., Ph.D. (Exercise Physiology)
Dr. Ramani was advised by Dr. Laura Stewart in Kinesiology. He immune system and psychological outcomes of a cannabis supplement in otherwise healthy and physcially active people. He is now an assistant professor in the at the College of Charleston.
Lea Haverbeck Simon, Ph.D. (Exercise Physiology)
Dr. Simon was advised by Dr. Reid Hayward in Kinesiology. Her research examined the effects of exercise on circulating immune cell parameters, a clinical translation of earlier mouse studies done in the lab. Since 2023 she has been a postdoctoral fellow at the .
Luke Krynski, M.S., Ph.D. (Exercise Physiology)
Dr. Krynski was advised by Dr. Reid Hayward in Kinesiology. He sleep quality and circadian rhythm in cancer patients enrolled in an exercise treatment program. His goal is to apply his expertise in exercise physiology as a physician. He is working on an M.D. degree at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Janae Mudge, M.S. (Biology)
Janae graduated in the Spring of 2020 from Â鶹´«Ã½ with her B.S. in dietetics. She then completed her . Janae’s research interests revolve around molecular approaches to nutritional interventions. At Â鶹´«Ã½ she undertook a project looking at the immune regulation of both physical activity and berberine food supplementation in a model of breast cancer. She then completed her dietetic internship at in 2023, and took on the role of Lecturer and Dietetic Internship Coordinator at Cal Poly-SLO.
Alexandra A. Vita, Ph.D. (Biological Education)
Dr. Vita compelted her and moved on to an administered by NUNM and UW. She has a B.S. in Biology from in Durango, CO. Her research interests focus on novel plant compounds that have the
potential to become effective treatments for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
Dr. Vita began research in this area as an undergrad, studying the plant compound
berberine and its ability to inhibit the pro-inflammatory responses of TH1 cells.
Papers at Â鶹´«Ã½:
NAMPS in the gut ()
Berberine phrophylaxis for RA ()
Mechanism of berberine inhibition of Tfh cells ()
Nick Harman, M.S., Ph.D. (Exercise Physiology)
Dr. Harman was advised by Dr. Hayward in Kinesiology. He neutrophil activity in a population of cancer patients enrolled in an exercise treatment program. He is a clinical research associate at Medpace.
Jacob Garritson, Ph.D. (Exercise Physiology)
Dr. Garritson was advised by Dr. Hayward in Kinesiology and conducted research in
the lab on the immune effects of exercise including its roles in: tumor growth, MDSC
expansion, and T cell suppression. He June 2020. He completed a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Nutrition & Integrative
Physiology at the University of Utah. He is a regulatory scientist at Cook Research,
Inc.
Viva Rasé, M.S. (Biology)
2018-2020. Viva was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She completed her B.S. in biological sciences with a minor in chemistry here at Â鶹´«Ã½, and then completed , May 2020. With Drs. Haughian and Pullen she studied the elusive TH22 and myeloid-derived suppressor cells, specifically how they interact in the breast cancer microenvironment. She was selected for a featured oral presentation of her work on Type 3 immune cells, and awarded travel funds, for the 2019 meeting of the Society for Leukocyte Biology. She and the other awardees are featured . Viva is expanding her expertise in T cell receptor signaling by pursuing a in Brian Evavold's lab at the University of Utah.
Paper at Â鶹´«Ã½:
Type 3 T cells and MDSC in response to mammary carcinoma ()
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Past Alums
Ally Ashbaugh, 2021-2024. Ally graduated from Â鶹´«Ã½ in May 2024 with a major in chemistry. Her undergraduate honors thesis was converted for peer-review and was published Fall 2024. It details the unexpected finding that commonly used breast cancer cell models abberantly express FcεRI. Following graduation she started her . Ally's paper at Â鶹´«Ã½: Unexpected Expression and Function of FcεRI in Immortalized Breast Cancer Cells: A Cautionary Null Study ()
Natalie Horn, 2021-2024. Natalie graduated from Â鶹´«Ã½ in May 2024 with a major in biology. Following graduation she will be starting her career as a high school science teacher in Greeley.
Macy Turner, 2021-2024. Natalie graduated from Â鶹´«Ã½ in May 2024 with a major in biology. Following graduation she started her career as a clinical medical laboratory scientist for a major Front Range allergy/immunology practice.
Dorothy Achiaa Agyemang, Pharm.D. McNair & Honors Scholar, 2018-2019. Dorothy graduated from Â鶹´«Ã½ May 2019 with a major in chemistry. In 2023 she completed the at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy, CU-Anschutz Medical Campus.
Michael Berger, 2018-2019. Michael graduated May 2020 with a major in biology.
Jazmyn Mosqueda-Banuelos, McNair & Honors Scholar, 2016-2018. Jazmyn graduated in 2020 with a major in Spanish.
Joanie Ryan, Ph.D. 2012-2016. Dr. Ryan graduated May 2016 (WWU) with a major in biology. In 2022 she finished a at Colorado State University. She is a biosafety officer.
Amanda Marty Gruber, D.V.M., 2012-2015. Dr. Gruber graduated with majors in biology and equestrian science. She then finished the DVM program at the University of Missouri and is now a practicing feline verterinarian.
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