Gianna Hammer

Gianna Hammer serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology and holds an adjunct appointment as Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Her research program, often referred to as the "gut lab", investigates host-microbe dynamics across gastrointestinal contexts including healthy homeostasis, inflammation, colorectal cancer, and pathogen infections, with implications for mucosal immunology and therapeutic development.

Dr. Hammer's academic foundation includes a Bachelor of Science from Eastern Washington University and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

• B.S., Eastern Washington University
• Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley

Her research focuses on the unique immunological rules governing gut environments, with specific expertise in gut-brain and gut-liver axes, innate immunity mechanisms, and the role of innate-like T cells. She examines how microbial interactions influence disease processes in inflammatory bowel disease, infectious colitis, and cancer, integrating molecular, cellular, and systems-level approaches to dissect host-pathogen dynamics and immune regulation within mucosal tissues.

Analysis of her 2007-2023 publications reveals an evolving trajectory from fundamental molecular studies (e.g., A20-mediated immune regulation, ERAAP in antigen presentation) toward complex host-microbe systems involving microbiome interactions, multi-organ axes, and specialized immune cell subsets. Key themes include identification of context-specific immune mechanisms in the gut, with translational relevance for infectious diseases, inflammatory disorders, and cancer immunology.

No specific scientific awards or fellowships are documented in the provided materials.

Dr. Hammer leads an interdisciplinary research group exploring the gut as a dynamic ecosystem, employing immunological, microbiological, and molecular techniques to address questions spanning basic mechanisms to disease applications. The lab maintains active collaborations across the University of Utah campus, particularly with clinical departments and cancer research institutes, to investigate gut health and pathology through integrated experimental models.