Hammer Lab
Principal Investigator: Gianna Elena Hammer
Institution: University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT)
Primary Subfield: Molecular & Cell Bio
Recruitment Status: ✅ Accepting PhD Students ✅ Hiring Postdocs
Research Focus
Abstract The brain is highly susceptible to aging, with a notable decline in multiple brain functions. To empower strategies that restrain the influence of age on the brain, we must identify the brain- regulatory factors that undergo age-associated decline and, more importantly, identify those amenable to being boosted or rebounded in the setting of advanced age. We identified such a factor: the brain-regulatory, gamma-delta T cell (γδT) that resides in the meninges. This proposal presents several fundamental discoveries regarding the influence of age on meningeal γδT cells, their regulation by gut microbes, and gut-centric interventions that drive their rebound in advanced age. Figuring out how to fortify γδ17 cells to support brain health will have a transformative impact on human health, particularly as it relates to advanced age. This collaborative proposal endeavors to make strident leaps toward this long-term goal.
Active NIH Awards
- 1R01AG096914-01A1: Age-associated decline of meningeal gdT cells and their modulation by the gut-meninges axis (2026)
- 5R21AI168714-02: Cellular mechanisms linking the intestine to inflammation involving non-intestinal organs (2025)
- 1R21AI168714-01A1: Cellular mechanisms linking the intestine to inflammation involving non-intestinal organs (2024)
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