![Maria Ciofani Maria Ciofani](/sites/default/files/styles/home_big_featured_card/public/member/Maria_Ciofani_0630176.jpeg?itok=nq7ij9fC)
Maria Ciofani
Associate Professor of Integrative ImmunobiologyOverview
Transcriptional Regulation of Proinflammatory Lymphocytes
IL-17-expressing CD4 T helper (Th17) cells are important members of the intestinal immune cell community that contribute to protection against bacterial and fungal infections, and maintenance of intestinal homeostasis. Although central to immunity, dysregulted Th17 cell function has been implicated in tissue inflammation and autoimmune disease (e.g. Inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis). In order to understand this balance between healthy and pathogenic responses, we are interested in defining the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that govern (1) Th17 cell specification from naive T cell precursors and, (2) Th17 cell effector plasticity during inflammation. Combining genome-wide interrogation of regulatory information (transcription factor occupancy, chromatin accessibility, and transcriptional output) with gene-deficiency models in mice, we can dissect the contribution of key transcriptional regulators in proinflammatory T cell function.
We currently have open positions for students, postdoctoral fellows and a research technician.
Positions
Associate Professor of Integrative Immunobiology in the School of Medicine
2020 School of Medicine
Associate Professor of Cell Biology in the School of Medicine
2022 School of Medicine
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute in the School of Medicine
2013 School of Medicine
Education
Ph.D. 2007
2007 University of Toronto (Canada)
Publications, Grants & Awards
Offices & Contact
Durham, NC
27710