Immune Dysregulation in Pediatric Sepsis Patients

Mentor Areas

Dr. Lindell is a graduate of the University of Georgia and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He completed his pediatrics residency training and pediatric critical care fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he also served as a chief resident in Pediatrics. He is currently an assistant professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care and Pediatrics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and an attending physician in the pediatric intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Dr. Lindell’s research program is centered on the biology of critical illness in children with immune dysfunction. His current translational research is focused on pediatric septic shock and the development of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in critically-ill children.

Description:

Sepsis, the syndrome of life-threatening organ dysfunction due to infection, is the leading cause of death of hospitalized children worldwide. Although sepsis is defined by a dysregulated host response to infection, our ability to discriminate adaptive and maladaptive immune response is limited. In most serious infections, there exists a complex interplay between pathogen-induced tissue injury, pathogen-directed host inflammation, and injury resulting from host immune activation. This immunologic complexity has hampered efforts to develop targeted pharmacotherapy for sepsis in children and adults.

The Lindell Lab is focused on leveraging translational immunology to define “treatable traits” in pediatric sepsis patients which can inform novel approaches to precision immunomodulation.

Circulating blood cells serve as a window to the immune response and reflect both innate and adaptive immune programs. Our translational immunology laboratory leverages several immune profiling techniques –spectral flow cytometry, plasma proteomics, metabolic characterization, and single-cell RNA sequencing – to identify associations between patterns of immune response and both short- and long-term sepsis outcomes. We also follow patients longitudinally, from onset of organ failure through recovery, to identify time-varying covariates associated with favorable outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications

Laboratory Research Opportunity: After a period of in-lab training by the principal investigator, the student will be responsible for performing complex immunological assays using human biospecimens. The student will function under the guidance of the principal investigator and other lab members and as part of a team. Ideal students for this position should have at least one prior laboratory rotation in immunology, cellular and molecular biology, or related fields. Students from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical research are especially encouraged for this position. Students will be expected to attend weekly lab meetings on Monday afternoons. To optimize the student experience, a two semester minimum commitment is required to be considered for this position.

Computational Research Opportunity: After a period of orientation by the principal investigator, the student will be responsible for analyzing complex immunological assays and clinical metadata using established bioinformatics pipelines. The student will function under the guidance of the principal investigator and other lab members and as part of a team. Ideal students for this position should have familiarity with basic statistical approaches to hypothesis testing and experience writing code in R and/or Python. Students from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical research are especially encouraged for this position. Students will be expected to attend weekly lab meetings on Monday afternoons. To optimize the student experience, a two semester minimum commitment is required to be considered for this position.

Project Website

Learn more about the researcher and/or the project here.
The Lindell Lab