Julián Hillyer, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN

Host: Jacques Robert  

“Not so Heartless: Functional Integration of the Immune and Circulatory System of Mosquitoes”  

Mosquitoes – like all other animals – live under constant threat of infection.  Because pathogens pose a threat to their survival, mosquitoes have evolved powerful immune systems.  In this talk, I will present the Hillyer laboratory’s research on the circulatory and immune systems of the African malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae.  This research informs on the physiological interaction between two major insect organ systems, and uncovers parallels between how the organ systems of invertebrate and vertebrate animals interact during the course of an infection.  Sponsored by the Department of Microbiology & Immunology.