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Marcelo J. Kuroda


Medicine
Tulane University
United States of America

Biography

Dr. Kuroda’s research interest is in the field of HIV/AIDS biology and immunology, using the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) rhesus macaque nonhuman primate model. He constructed the first rhesus macaque MHC class I and II tetramers that helped expand our understanding about SIV infection and disease pathogenesis, as well as contributed to AIDS vaccine development. He has a many years’ experience in nonhuman primate immunology, flow cytometry and development of novel immunologic tools. For example, Dr. Kuroda successfully developed and applied the TCR tetramer in a new flow cytometry-based assay to rapidly determine macaque MHC types, identify new functional CTL epitopes and determine their binding affinity. His research interest has expanded to investigating the relevance of innate immunity in the resistance and pathogenesis of SIV/AIDS. In this regard, data from his laboratory showed that a massive destruction of tissue macrophages contributes to an increasing monocyte turnover rate that better predicted terminal disease progression to AIDS than did T cell activation, higher viral load, and declining CD4 T cell levels. Recent data also showed that different lung macrophages play distinct roles in the pathogenesis of pulmonary disease during SIV infection. He is currently examining the role of macrophages in the mechanism of rapid disease progression in pediatric and geriatric AIDS, pathogenesis of lung disease in AIDS, establishment of virus reservoirs, and the reactivation of TB in the TB/SIV co-infection model. Dr. Kuroda’s research interest is in the field of HIV/AIDS biology and immunology, using the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) rhesus macaque nonhuman primate model. He constructed the first rhesus macaque MHC class I and II tetramers that helped expand our understanding about SIV infection and disease pathogenesis, as well as contributed to AIDS vaccine development. He has a many years’ experience in nonhuman primate immunology, flow cytometry and development of novel immunologic tools. For example, Dr. Kuroda successfully developed and applied the TCR tetramer in a new flow cytometry-based assay to rapidly determine macaque MHC types, identify new functional CTL epitopes and determine their binding affinity. His research interest has expanded to investigating the relevance of innate immunity in the resistance and pathogenesis of SIV/AIDS. In this regard, data from his laboratory showed that a massive destruction of tissue macrophages contributes to an increasing monocyte turnover rate that better predicted terminal disease progression to AIDS than did T cell activation, higher viral load, and declining CD4 T cell levels. Recent data also showed that different lung macrophages play distinct roles in the pathogenesis of pulmonary disease during SIV infection. He is currently examining the role of macrophages in the mechanism of rapid disease progression in pediatric and geriatric AIDS, pathogenesis of lung disease in AIDS, establishment of virus reservoirs, and the reactivation of TB in the TB/SIV co-infection model.

Research Interest

Mechanisms of immune aging in the Rhesus model

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