معرفی
Katherine Barnett serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Michigan Medical School, where she established the Barnett Lab in 2025. Her research bridges virology and immunology to investigate how viral infections drive disease mechanisms through cellular damage and immune responses.
Education:
- B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology from Tulane University (2013)
- Ph.D. in Virology from Harvard Medical School (2019)
- Postdoctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill under Dr. Jenny Ting
Research Focus: The Barnett Lab specializes in RNA virus pathogenesis, particularly SARS-CoV-2, examining how viral replication induces cellular damage and death to trigger inflammatory responses. Using organotypic human cultures, animal models, and molecular techniques, her team identifies molecular targets for broad-spectrum therapeutics against acute and post-acute viral syndromes (including long COVID), with emphasis on high-risk patient populations and cross-viral mechanisms.
Collaborations and Training: Dr. Barnett actively collaborates with the Michigan Center for Infectious Disease Threats and Pandemic Preparedness (MCIDT) and clinical partners to translate findings into immunotherapies. She is recruiting graduate students to advance research on virus-host interactions and therapeutic development.
