Lacy-Hulbert Lab

Introduction

The immune system provides us with many layers of defense against infection by bacteria, viruses, and other microbes. These range from highly specialized ‘adaptive’ immune responses, which include antibodies to killer T cells that recognize specific microbial components through ‘innate’ immune mechanisms that are designed to react to macromolecules shared by many microbes, to barrier mechanisms, which physically prevent infection in the skin, lung, gut, and other mucosal surfaces.

The Lacy-Hulbert lab works to understand how these different aspects of the immune system cooperate to identify and combat potentially infectious organisms while preventing immune attack against innocuous microbes or the body’s own self.

Work in the laboratory has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, Wellcome Trust, Lupus Research Alliance, Heidner Foundatrion and the Seattle Foundation.

Adam Lacy-Hulbert
Associate Member

Adam Lacy-Hulbert, PhD

Director, Center for Systems Immunology; Associate Member; Principal Investigator, Lacy-Hulbert Lab
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Lab Members

Kayla Fasano

Kayla Fasano

Graduate Student, Lacy-Hulbert Lab
Alina Lorant

Alina Lorant

Graduate Student, Lacy-Hulbert Lab
Caroline  Stefani

Caroline Stefani, PhD

Research Assistant Member; Principal Investigator, Stefani Lab; Imaging Core Manager, Cell & Tissue Analysis Core
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Lauren Vandepas

Lauren Vandepas

Graduate Student, Lacy-Hulbert Lab
Anna Yoshida

Anna Yoshida

Research Technician, Lacy-Hulbert Lab

Research Projects

Lacy-Hulbert Res Proj Prev - Forward Genetics

Forward Genetics To Identify New Mechanisms In Immunity And Host Defense

The lab has developed forward genetic techniques using transposon mutagenesis and high throughput gene sequencing, which can be used to probe immune mechanisms in mammalian cells. 
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Hands editing DNA strands with tweezers and scissors

Regulation Of Immune Responses

Our laboratory is interested in genes and pathways that regulate immune signaling, and understanding how changes in these mechanisms can lead to autoimmune diseases such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) or Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
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Lacy-Hulbert Res Proj Prev - Distinguishing Pathogens from Self

Distinguishing Pathogens from Self

Our current research is focused on understanding how recognition of apoptotic cells modifies innate immune signaling to promote immune tolerance, and how defects in this process may lead to autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
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Blog Main Image - 3D Biological COVID Particles Blue Red

SARS-CoV2 And COVID-19

We are now applying our forward genetic screening approaches to identify genes and cell pathways that can increase cellular resistance to SARS-CoV2.
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