https://www.gaudetlab.org/home daily 1.0 2022-07-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/409a79ad-586c-41d2-9fbb-fb3e6138a42b/New+Pic+for+Research.png Home - Our Research - Strength in Numbers - Non-immune cells greatly outnumber professional immune cells in the human body, providing pathogens with plenty of shelter to take refuge. How does the immune system protect this huge surface area? Secreted immune molecules like interferon conscript tissue cells (epithelia, fibroblasts, and endothelia) into this battle by endowing them with transient antimicrobial effector functions to combat pathogen infiltrations in a cell-intrinsic manner; amplifying the activation of a small number of lymphocytes into an organ-wide response. Our lab seeks to understand the inducible effector genes within tissue cells that execute these responses, define the mechanisms by which they neutralize pathogens, and establish their physiological significance to human disease. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/1658249269240-R79ZY7APHEEYI87XQW6H/unsplash-image-9z30kFPzgLo.jpg Home - About Us Our group is part of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, in the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. We are also a proud member of the Human Tissue Immunity and Disease Initiative, launched in 2021. https://www.gaudetlab.org/what-we-do daily 0.75 2026-05-27 https://www.gaudetlab.org/contact-us daily 0.75 2022-07-19 https://www.gaudetlab.org/people-1 daily 0.75 2024-12-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/ab143377-14f2-46cc-b2fa-cd831c96451a/RG+Headshot*.jpg People - Ryan Gaudet, Ph.D Ryan received his B.Sc in Biology at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), MSc from the University of Manitoba in Medical Microbiology, and PhD from the University of Toronto in Molecular Genetics. His postdoctoral studies were conducted in the lab of John MacMicking, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator at Yale University, Department of Immunobiology and of Microbial Pathogenesis. He studied the mechanisms of cell-intrinsic immunity to intracellular bacterial pathogens like Salmonella and Shigella. As a new lab, we are actively recruiting founding team members at all levels of training. This group will lay the foundation for the culture, training, and scientific interests of the lab going forward. Email: rg3477@cumc.columbia.edu to inquire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/b0632806-0001-4cb1-965a-80fcb444b6a9/AG_pic.jpg People - Antonia Oduguwa Graduate Student Antonia received her B.S. in Biology from Howard University. In her post-baccalaureate year, she conducted research in the Jeffrey Bender lab at Yale University. Antonia is interested in uncovering the mechanisms utilized by endothelial cells in pathogen defense. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/5cd8f36f-fa28-40e2-b22d-cd22e74fccdc/dom.jpg People - Dominic Ritacco Graduate Student Dominic received his B.S in Biochemistry and Chinese from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has previously conducted research in the Moormann lab at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, as well as in the Cantor lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dominic is particularly interested in host-pathogen interactions and the effector mechanisms underlying innate immunity https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/5dacb757-a404-4dee-88f8-ff6baaae3c29/Hamna+pic.jpg People - Hamna Shahnawaz Graduate Student Hamna received her B.A. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Bryn Mawr College. She previously conducted research in the Drew Weissman lab at the University of Pennsylvania. Within the Gaudet lab, Hamna is interested in understanding tissue-specific immunity. Her research focuses on how interferons orchestrate the spatial organization of interferon-stimulated genes in structural cells. Hamna is passionate about leveraging computational methods to dissect tissue-specific immunity, aiming to shed light on the sophisticated mechanisms of the immune response at the cellular level. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/e0746370-ce6b-4d8c-82c6-9f5dc8920a44/pankephoto.jpg People - Panke Qu, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow Panke received his MS in the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and PhD in The Ohio State University where he has developed extensive expertise in viral infections and host immune responses. Within the Gaudet lab, Panke is particularly interested in tissue-specific immunity and the mechanisms by which differential interferon-activated host defense programs influence viral tropism or immune-driven pathologies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/7c122b24-34b5-4b55-8e09-6c5a6fae9be8/arda.png People - Melih Arda Ozsoy Graduate Student Arda is a graduate student from Bursa, Turkey. He graduated with honors from Brown University in 2022 with a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. During his undergraduate studies, Arda conducted research in the Ribeiro Lab, where he completed his senior thesis investigating immunologic signatures associated with responses to frontline therapy in high-grade serous ovarian cancer, with a focus on understanding chemoresistance. For this work, he received the Llealyn B. Clapp Prize for Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis. Following graduation, he conducted research in the Zamarin Lab at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, investigating the therapeutic potential of oncolytic viruses in gynecologic malignancies, particularly ovarian and endometrial cancers. Currently, Arda is interested in understanding the spatial organization of interferon responses in the lung, with a particular focus on age-dependent differences. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/8bbfc12a-edc6-4be5-a0e8-16541985a9bd/Vera.png People - Vera Foley Technician Vera joined the Gaudet Lab in 2026 after earning her B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience from Northeastern University. She manages lab operations and supports the team’s research. Her project asks whether overexpressing type I and type II interferon receptors (IFNAR1/2, IFNGR1/2) in human structural cells lowers the EC50 for interferon, and whether that shift differs by cell type. She is also trained on the vibratome, preparing precision-cut slices of donor tissue for the lab. Her interests span immunology and neuroscience. Outside the lab, Vera is passionate about healthcare access, especially for patients facing language barriers or lacking insurance, and currently volunteers as a medical interpreter at a free clinic. She plans to pursue an MD. https://www.gaudetlab.org/news daily 0.75 2026-03-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/84bca971-386f-473c-a0de-7ffb69cab365/Specific+Aims+Figurews2.jpg News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/5c476697-5e3e-43dd-8ddb-9df5d23015fe/Fig+7+%28IHC%29+before+export2.png News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/aa6b4a7c-7a7e-4967-ba6d-a7da6bab08ae/tcruz2.png News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/1476220b-e00e-4869-990b-da93f2307d3e/IMG_8567.jpeg News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/9a18ca4f-ad0b-49c9-8d33-d23f17dc636e/Screenshot+2025-08-28+at+12.21.44%E2%80%AFPM.png News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/9319aa07-5f6d-4a28-9cf2-841fefa5247a/Lab+bbq.png News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/f2cf877c-4dff-4346-8e1b-8e520c1b99f2/PHOTO-2025-12-17-18-53-21.jpg News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/e962df73-4a20-41ae-9977-814a7cbd346b/conference+pics.jpg News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/f5e18a6f-92de-4998-9632-6716c71ea8a4/paper+for+website.jpg News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/628692b1f965933467ebdd98/72ebab02-b801-4f65-b41b-8f03603f9375/MOLCEL_86_6_4C*.jpg News