Sam Dooyema
University of Sioux Falls
Richard Peek lab
I study the pathogen Helicobacter pylori and how it can use a previously ascribed virulence constituent, the cag TFSS, to suppress inflammation, and potentially induce TLR9-mediated epithelial responses with carcinogenic potential. I hope to provide fresh insights into how H. pylori can both persist and induce disease in human hosts. Of interest, in intestinal epithelial cells, TLR9 mediates distinct responses that are either pro- or anti-inflammatory, depending on which cell surface domains are activated. Therefore, I am investigating the response to H. pylori or known TLR9 chemical ligands based upon route of activation.