Krystal Maya-Maldonado, Ph.D.

Research

In the Broderick lab, I will explore how parents can transmit an “immune memory” of past infections to future generations. When exposed to parasites or disease-causing bacteria, some animals can produce a protective immune response that will subsequently enhance their offspring’s natural resistance to those same infections. Although the mechanism is unknown, one hypothesis is that “good” gut bacteria may contribute to such “transgenerational” immunity, because a healthy microbiome plays an important role in generating an individual’s initial immune response. Using state-of-the-art techniques in microbiology, genetics, physiology, and immunology, I will produce fruit flies harboring different microbial communities, infect those flies with disease-causing bacteria, and determine which gut microbes bolster disease resistance, survival, and the activation of immune genes in the flies’ offspring. These findings could provide a novel approach to enhancing immunity, particularly in insects that are important for agriculture and as vectors of disease.