Faculty Café: Dr. Kari Heckman to Present on Macrophage-Mediated Inflammation
The final Faculty Café of the semester will feature a presentation by Dr. Kari Heckman titled “Modulating Macrophage-Mediated Inflammation for Good… or Bad?” The talk will take place on April 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Herring-Cole Feinstone Room, and a light lunch will be served. Dr. Heckman will discuss the complex role of inflammation in the body and examine research on how immune responses that protect against disease can also contribute to harmful outcomes.
Inflammation is a cause of both good and bad effects in the body. Protection against pathogens involves a rapid inflammatory response and robust immune cell activity. However, even this protective mechanism can become so strong that its mediators threaten patients’ lives, as observed in some COVID-19 patients.
This talk will clarify the positive and negative effects of inflammation and consider whether modulating the activity of the macrophage cell will yield better or worse outcomes in different contexts. Preliminary evidence of macrophage modulation will be presented to illustrate the potential effects of the phytochemical cardamonin on macrophage pro-inflammatory behavior.
Featuring
Dr. Kari Heckman
Associate ProfessorDr. Kari Heckman has been teaching at St. Lawrence University since 2007. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Community Medical Dietetics, completing clinical and community nutrition work to become a registered dietitian. Seeking to pursue research at a more cellular level, she later earned her PhD in Biomedical Sciences: Immunology from the Mayo Clinic. Her research has examined immune cells in the contexts of autoimmunity, allergic asthma, and cancer. She now focuses on naturally occurring compounds that modulate immune function, particularly the macrophage.