# Transcriptional regulation of immunological memory in innate and adaptive lymphocytes

> **NIH NIH K22** · CORNELL UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $162,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 The candidate, Dr. Colleen Lau seeks to achieve an academic career as an independent research
investigator at an institution where she can foster academic growth and immunology research that advances
treatment or prevention of human disease. She aims to do so through a union of laboratory experimentation
and bioinformatics methods, as reflected in her current proposal.
 Her project aims to understand the underlying mechanisms that drive proper formation of immune
memory by studying it in two cytolytic lymphocytes in the context of viral infection, using mouse
cytomegalovirus (CMV) as a model. By studying the infection in mice, work performed previously in the lab has
demonstrated that natural killer (NK) cells, cytolytic lymphocytes traditionally classified as innate cells, are
capable of exhibiting attributes of adaptive immune memory. As a result, her previous work used these CMV-
specific NK cells and the more classic adaptive CD8+ T cell to further illustrate that these two lymphocytes
share a common transcriptional and epigenetic memory signature. Building from this signature, she will hone in
on two candidate transcription factors, ZEB2 and JunB, to test their requirement for optimal effector function,
memory formation, memory maintenance and recall in both cell types, using genetic mouse models that
temporally delete the gene. Using a combination of high-throughput sequencing technologies, she will
generate global transcriptomic, epigenomic, and transcription factor occupancy profiles in order to elucidate
any common mechanisms between memory NK and CD8+ T cells. This proposal improves our understanding
of antiviral processes and immune memory in order to ultimately harness it for vaccine therapy and disease
intervention.
 Throughout the transition and award period, the candidate will focus on advancing her technical and
computational skills for generating and analyzing large and complex datasets, improving and exercising her
mentoring skills, broadening her scientific background through regular attendance of scientific seminars and
conferences, and developing her grant writing skills. She aspires to acquire a tenure-track faculty position, and,
with the informal guidance of her previous mentors, strives to carry out her long-term research program of
studying immunological memory.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10300671
- **Project number:** 1K22AI156115-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** CORNELL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Colleen M. Lau
- **Activity code:** K22 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $162,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-13 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10300671

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10300671, Transcriptional regulation of immunological memory in innate and adaptive lymphocytes (1K22AI156115-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10300671. Licensed CC0.

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