Presenter: Dr. Olga L. Rojas

Biography: Dr. Rojas is an immunologist focusing in the role of intestinal immune cells in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration.

Recent research by Dr. Rojas, published in Cell, uncovered the role of intestinal Plasma cells in inflammation during neuroinflammation. The findings revealed that a subset of microbiome-specific IgA Plasma cells is key to fight Experimental Acute Encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). These IgA-producing plasma cells can travel from the intestines to the central nervous system where they are found to suppress brain inflammation during MS flare-ups.

Currently, Dr. Rojas lab is interested in understanding the role of mucosal immune cells as a key intermediate of the gut-brain axis. Central to this question is understanding how intestinal immune cells can directly (by migration) or indirectly (by cytokines, chemokines) impact pathogenic processes in the brain during neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson Disease.