Edward Havell, Professor
Research Professor of Immunology
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame, Microbiology, 1970
Office:
Research Building, Room 452
Phone: (919) 515.6184
Fax: (919) 513.3044
Lab:
476-A
Email: Ed_Havell@ncsu.edu
Expertise and Research Area
Interferons, cytokines, intracellular bacteria and host antibacterial immunity
Research, Extension and Engagement Activities
Our research centers on:
1.) The generation and characterization of avirulent Listeria monocytogenes mutants for use as orally administered vaccine vectors expressing heterologous pathogenic bacterial or tumor antigens. The goal of this research is to obtain effective and safe noninvasive oral vaccine vectors that can present bacterial and tumor antigens to the host’s gut-associated lymphoid tissue in order to induce protective immunity.
2.) The study of innate and adaptive antilisterial resistance mechanisms expressed at various stages of pregnancy in mice. The objective of this research is to determine whether the conceptus is capable of altering maternal antilisterial immunity and if so, how and when during gestation.
3.) Investigations into the ability of Listeria monocytogenes to induce the synthesis of cytokines in cultured human and mouse enterocytes and trophoblasts. These studies enable the characterization of cytokines that function in immunity and which are produced by host cells that are invaded by listeriae translocating from the intestinal lumen to infect the pregnant host and embryonic tissues.
Teaching Activities
Assist teaching for VMP 914, Pathogenic Bacteriology and Mycology
Participate for IMM 816, Advanced Topics in Immunology and Biotechnology
Selected Presentations and Publications
Spears, PA, Suyemoto, MM, Palermo, AM, Horton, JR, Hamrick, Havell, EA and Orndorff, PE. A Listeria monocytogenes Mutant Defective in Bacteriophage Attachment is Attenuated in Orally Inoculated Mice and Impaired in Enterocyte Intracellular Growth. Infection and Immunity (in press).
Poster entitled: A Listeria monocytogenes Mutant Defective in Bacteriophage Attachment is Attenuated in Orally Inoculated Mice and Impaired in Intracellular Replication. To be presented at the American Society for Microbiology Annual Meeting, Boston, June 1-5, ’08.