Donald A. Harn, PhD, University of Georgia

The Harn laboratory studies identification of cell receptors and signaling pathways that drive anti-inflammatory activation of antigen presenting cells and development of vaccines and therapeutics for HIV-1 and schistosomiasis. They â??determined that a biologically conserved glycan (LNFPIII) is anti-inflammatory. LNFPIII alternatively activates macrophages and dendritic cells via a non-canonical signaling pathway that drives maturation of anti-inflammatory cells. They have shown that LNFPIII is a potent anti-inflammatory agent in vivo, with broad therapeutic capability. Additionally, administration of LNFPIII to HIV-1 infected cells significantly reduces HIV-1 viral loads. Currently they are employing bioinformatics to determine the activation pathways and immune mediators induced by LNFPIII, in conjunction with knockdown, loss of function studies to discover new anti-inflammatory and anti-retroviral reagents.