Pushpa Pandiyan

Pushpa Pandiyan, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the School of Dental Medicine, Case Western Reserve University. She is also a member of the Immune Oncology Program at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Center for AIDS Research, and the Departments of Pathology and Molecular Biology and Microbiology in the School of Medicine. Her research focuses on mucosal immunology, immune dysfunction during infections, T-cell subsets, and immunoregulation in inflammation and tumorigenesis.

Education:

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Immunology, Humboldt University (Germany)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, National Academy of Sciences
• Master of Science, Microbiology, Bharathidasan University (India)

Research Interests: Dr. Pandiyan investigates mechanisms controlling immune regulation, particularly regulatory T cells (Tregs) and cytokine networks in diseases like HIV, cancer, and aging-related immunopathology. Her work bridges mucosal immunity, tumor microenvironment dynamics, and polyamine metabolism's role in T-cell dysfunction.

Recent Funding (Principal Investigator/Co-Investigator):

• NIH-NIDCR: Amphiregulin-Immunometabolism axis in oral immunity during HIV (2022–2027)
• NIH-NCI: Head and Neck Cancer SPORE Pilot Grant (2020–2021)
• NIH-NIDCR: Mechanisms of Th17/Treg dysregulation in HIV-associated oral inflammation (2017–2022)

Awards:

• NIAID Performance Awards (2010–2012)
• International Cytokine Society Postdoctoral Fellowship (2008)
• Humboldt University PhD Fellowship (2001)

Labs/Teams: Her laboratory integrates immunology, virology, and metabolomics to study host-pathogen interactions and immune-mediated disease progression.