SSCI Seminar Series: "Mechanisms of Tissue Adaptation and Maladaptation"

Dr. Shruti Naik’s research explores how barrier tissues (like skin and gut) interact with the immune system, microbiota, and environment to maintain health and respond to injury or infection.

• Investigates how immune cells that reside in tissues (rather than circulate in blood) contribute to tissue repair, inflammation, and disease.

Inflammatory Memory:

• Discovered that epithelial stem cells can retain a “memory” of past inflammation, enabling faster responses to future injuries—a concept known as inflammatory memory.

Microbiome-Immune Interactions:

• Studies how commensal microbes influence immune responses and tissue health, particularly in skin and mucosal surfaces.

Stem Cell-Immune Crosstalk:

• Explores how immune signals shape stem cell behavior and tissue regeneration, with implications for chronic inflammatory diseases and cancer.

Epigenetic Regulation:

• Examines how epigenetic changes in stem cells and immune cells regulate long-term responses to environmental stimuli.

Associate Professor, Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy, and Department of Dermatology

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Assistant Professor of Medicine

UC San Diego School of Medicine

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Here are some of the key learning objectives:

1. Effective Treatment: Participants will learn to treat patients with stem cells more effectively through multidisciplinary discussions.
2. Research Dissemination: Participants will be able to disseminate the latest research and clinical advances in stem cell science.
3. Clinical Application: Participants will apply new knowledge to improve clinical practices and patient outcomes.

These objectives aim to ensure that attendees are well-equipped to integrate the latest scientific advancements into their clinical practice. The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Info: "Coffee and Conversation" will be held on the patio terrace for attendees. Attendees can grab coffee before the presentation and catch up with their colleagues.

Info: Shruti received her B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Maryland, College Park. After that, she worked as a research assistant at the Naval Medical Research Center studying traumatic injury and autoimmune onset. Shruti then matriculated into the University of Pennsylvania-National Institutes of Health Graduate Partnership Program and obtained her Ph.D. in Immunology under the mentorship of Dr. Yasmine Belkaid and in collaboration with Dr. Julie Segre. During her doctoral studies, she discovered that normal bacteria living on our skin, known as the commensals, educate the immune system and help protect us from harmful pathogens. Her work has unveiled how immune cells in our skin work in conjunction with our microbial partners to prevent disease, and has opened the door for microbiota-based therapies in the skin. For her postdoctoral studies, Shruti joined the lab of Dr. Elaine Fuchs at the Rockefeller University as a Damon Runyon Cancer Research Fellow.

Info: Q&A participation with the audience and Zoom attendees.

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