Jason L. Pugh Email & Phone Number

San Francisco Bay Area

Stanford, California, United States

I'm using genomic analysis and functional immune assays to reveal a new role for Natural Killer cells in human immunity.

Stanford, California, United States

My post-doctoral work focused on an immune cell type called Natural Killer cells (NK cells for short). NK cells are interesting because they can become "educated" by the HLA type of the individual, thereby responding more to infection or malignancy when HLA expression changes. I discovered a fundamental mechanism that NK cells use to switch themselves off during the contraction phase of the immune response. More practically, I developed a protocol to "educate" NK cells in vitro using specific HLA alleles. Using this protocol, I was able to make NK cells respond much more aggressively to cancer cells and cells infected with Cytomegalovirus.

Department Of Immunobiology, College Of Medicine

I refined fundamental discoveries from my graduate career. Projects included a mechanistic examination of co-infection and aging, and defining radiosensitivity mechanisms during T cell memory maturation.

Genetics Interdisciplinary Program / Department Of Immunobiology

I examined three factors in my PhD thesis: the aging immune system, early-life radiation exposure, and latent viral infection. I tracked the radiation sensitivity, repopulation, and homeostasis of immune cell populations in multiple cohorts of mice across lifespan. In parallel, I examined ex vivo human samples for similar hallmarks in DNA repair, apoptosis, and immune function. I employed ten-color flow cytometry, fluorescent microscopy, qPCR, ELISA, TUNEL, Comet, and many other standard assays. To gauge immune function I used infection models, including WNV, MCMV, CPXV and Listeria. As part of the Genetics Interdisciplinary program, I received training in various genetic and genomic analyses, including Perl coding. Ultimately, I was able to address fundamental theories of immune aging, propose new mechanisms for radiation sensitivity, and introduce a post-radiation intervention.

Department Of Plant Sciences

Michelle McMahon Lab - Constructing legume phylogenies through mitochondrial and genomic DNA sequences. Included organelle extraction, DNA isolation, sequencing, and application of statistical phylogenic models. This work was done in conjunction with the University of Arizona Herbarium.

Overall responsibilities included restaurant concept, purchasing, marketing, menu design, catering and management. Daily responsibilities as chef.

Responsibilities included sales of network hardware and software to businesses and government agencies, and coordination with technical, cabling, and fiber-optic departments.

Responsibilities included management of location staff, customer service management, sales training, location opening-closing, floor marketing, loss prevention, and financial reporting.

Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Genetics / Immunology

Mentor - Janko Nikolich-Zugich

Bachelor'S Degree, Literature / Philosophy