Podell Lab

Dr. Podell’s laboratory studies the pathogenesis of tuberculosis (TB) to better understand the host immune response to M. tuberculosis infection, known as the granuloma. Our laboratory focuses on identifying immune correlates of protection against M. tuberculosis, the influence of acquired risk factors on the spectrum of TB disease outcomes, and the influence of metabolism on host response to infection. Through this research, we aim to identify targeted responses for vaccine candidates and new approaches to host-directed therapy for improving the prevention and treatment of TB.

research project

Immune Mechanisms of Protection Against TB Center (IMPAc-TB)

The mechanisms of immune function that correlate with protection from M. tuberculosis infection remain elusive. This limits our ability to improve upon vaccination strategies. Using a harmonized cross-species approach, this multi-center award applies innovative computational pathology approaches to better understand vaccine-induced immunity in situ.

research project

The role of vitamin A in TB pathogenesis

Vitamin A deficiency increases the risk of progression to clinically active TB disease by up to 10-fold in human subjects. Known as the “anti-infective” vitamin, vitamin A plays a critical in immunity to infection. Our goal is to understand how a deficiency in vitamin A alters immune function in TB, and whether supplementation represents a treatment approach.

research project

Immune dysfunction in the comorbidity of diabetes and tuberculosis

The incidence of type 2 diabetes is rapidly increasing in nations where TB is endemic. Increasing the risk of TB disease progression by 3-fold, there is a critical need to understand how uncontrolled diabetes impacts TB immunity and whether diabetes management can improve the response to infect.

research project

Lipid antigens in immunity to TB

CD1 is an antigen presentation molecule exclusive to lipid antigens. Specific cell wall lipids of the organism M. tuberculosis serve as CD1-restricted antigens for T cells. The goal of this research is to understand which lipids participate in the immune response within infected tissue and whether CD1 contributes to protection from progressive TB disease.

Publications

Immunogenicity and protection against Mycobacterium avium with a heterologous RNA prime and protein boost vaccine regimen.
Rais M, Abdelaal H, Reese VA, Ferede D, Larsen SE, Pecor T, Erasmus JH, Archer J, Khandhar AP, Cooper SK, Podell BK, Reed SG, Coler RN, Baldwin SL.
Tuberculosis (Edinb). 2023 Jan;138:102302. doi: 10.1016/j.tube.2022.102302. Epub 2022 Dec 27. PMID: 36586154

Mucosal exposure to non-tuberculous mycobacteria elicits B cell-mediated immunity against pulmonary tuberculosis.
Dutt TS, Karger BR, Fox A, Youssef N, Dadhwal R, Ali MZ, Patterson J, Creissen E, Rampacci E, Cooper SK, Podell BK, Gonzalez-Juarrero M, Obregon-Henao A, Henao-Tamayo M.
Cell Rep. 2022 Dec 13;41(11):111783. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111783. PMID: 36516760

Therapeutic efficacy against Mycobacterium tuberculosis using ID93 and liposomal adjuvant formulations.
Baldwin SL, Reese VA, Larsen SE, Pecor T, Brown BP, Granger B, Podell BK, Fox CB, Reed SG, Coler RN.
Front Microbiol. 2022 Aug 26;13:935444. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.935444. eCollection 2022. PMID: 36090093

The Impact of Vitamin A Deficiency on Tuberculosis Progression.
Podell BK, Aibana O, Huang CC, DiLisio JE, Harris MC, Ackart DF, Armann K, Grover A, Severe P, Juste MAJ, Dupnik K, Basaraba RJ, Murray MB.
Clin Infect Dis. 2022 Apr 29:ciac326. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac326. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35486953

Mycobacterium tuberculosis precursor rRNA as a measure of treatment-shortening activity of drugs and regimens.
Walter ND, Born SEM, Robertson GT, Reichlen M, Dide-Agossou C, Ektnitphong VA, Rossmassler K, Ramey ME, Bauman AA, Ozols V, Bearrows SC, Schoolnik G, Dolganov G, Garcia B, Musisi E, Worodria W, Huang L, Davis JL, Nguyen NV, Nguyen HV, Nguyen ATV, Phan H, Wilusz C, Podell BK, Sanoussi ND, de Jong BC, Merle CS, Affolabi D, McIlleron H, Garcia-Cremades M, Maidji E, Eshun-Wilson F, Aguilar-Rodriguez B, Karthikeyan D, Mdluli K, Bansbach C, Lenaerts AJ, Savic RM, Nahid P, Vásquez JJ, Voskuil MI.
Nat Commun. 2021 May 18;12(1):2899. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-22833-6. PMID: 34006838

more publications

People

Brendan Podell
Brendan Podell, D.V.M., Ph.D., D.A.C.V.P.

Lab Principal Investigator [PI]
Assistant Professor

Faye Lanni
Faye Lanni, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Forrest Ackart Jr

Research Associate IV

Tori Mitcham
Tori Mitcham

Research Associate I

Sarah Cooper headshot.
Sarah Cooper

Graduate Research Assistant

Purva Sanghvi
Purva Sanghvi

Graduate Research Assistant

Maya Kohlhepp
Maya Kohlhepp

Student Researcher

Lea Maristela
Lea Maristela

Student Researcher

Icon of a person on a green background.
Alyssa Nelson

Student Researcher

news and updates view all

May 18, 2021 Researchers develop new way to evaluate tuberculosis treatments

A collaborative study, including the CSU Mycobacteria Research Laboratories, provides an important new basis for comparing the effectiveness of different tuberculosis treatments and accelerating the development of shorter regimens.
September 21, 2020 CSU secures $3.1 million from NIH to advance SolaVAX coronavirus vaccine research

An interdisciplinary CSU team is advancing a COVID-19 vaccine candidate with additional NIH support, that relies on riboflavin and UV light technology to create inactivated virus.
November 13, 2019 CSU lands $1.2 million in NIH funding to advance work on a new tuberculosis vaccine

Associate professors Marcela Henao Tamayo and Brendan Podell will led an interdisciplinary team from the CSU Mycobacteria Research Laboratories to progress a vaccine for tuberculosis.