The iDPCC is thrilled to spotlight several CEIRR researchers who earned a poster presentation award at the 4th Annual CEIRR Network Meeting (ANM). Our second spotlight of this series is Caroline Kikawa, M.D./Ph.D. student in the Bloom Lab at the University of Washington, which is affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania CEIRR (Penn-CEIRR) program. Kikawa earned First Place in the Viral Evolution category for her poster titled “High-Throughput Neutralization Measurements Correlate Strongly with Evolutionary Success of Human Influenza Strains.”
Kikawa and her colleagues dove deeper into understanding the rapid evolution of human influenza virus. The team aimed to determine how influenza virus evolves in response to pressure from neutralizing antibodies using high-throughput neutralization measurements of human sera against many different viral strains. Mutations in influenza virus surface protein hemagglutinin rapidly arise and erode neutralization by antibodies from prior exposures. However, humans have diverse exposure histories and therefore diverse antibody repertoires, so a key remaining question is how population heterogeneity impacts influenza viral evolution. Their results suggest that high-throughput neutralization measurements of human sera against viral strains help explain the evolution of human influenza, where the strains with the greatest evolutionary success tend to be poorly neutralized by the largest fractions of the population. They also show that accurately characterizing population heterogeneity is vital for understanding human viral evolution.
Kikawa told the iDPCC that her motivation as a researcher comes from wanting to “[improve] our ability to accurately select vaccine strains that represent circulating flu strains” because it has the “potential to keep a lot of people healthier.” Additionally, she credited the CEIRR Program for fostering multidisciplinary collaborations, allowing her to “connect with scientists across disciplines at other institutions” helping her “[form] new collaborations [and] contribute to existing collaborations.”
To learn more about who Kikawa is, the iDPCC asked several questions to get to know her better:
1. Who/what inspired you to go into science in general?
A. My mentors! While an undergrad, as a post-grad research technician, and today as a graduate student.
2. What is one thing on your bucket list?
A. Become decent at go.
3. Do you have advice for other trainees or students wanting to get started in research?
A. Choose a department, program, and lab that encourages (and fosters!) collaboration