Joshua Tobin

Program: Immunology

Current advisor: Megan A. Cooper, MD, PhD

Undergraduate university: Georgetown University, 2018

Enrollment year: 2019

Research summary
Novel primary immunodeficiency results in impaired B Cell memory

This past summer I worked in the lab of Megan Cooper, investigating the immunodeficiency in a family with recurrent pneumococcal vaccines. Additionally, despite normal antibody levels, affected individuals within the family cannot form specific responses to any vaccination. Through Next Generation sequencing, we discovered a large duplication in and around the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus, suggesting a B cell deficiency. I performed immunophenotyping suggesting a lack of memory B cells and optimized a proliferation and plasmablast generation assay to determine functional defects.

Graduate publications