Spencer Reilly Dublin

PhD Student

Organization:

West Virginia University School of Medicine

Department:

Microbiology, Immunology & Cell Biology

Classification:

Graduate Assistant

Spencer graduated from WVU's Immunology and Medical Microbiology undergraduate program in May of 2022. As an undergraduate researcher, Spencer gained research experience from Dr. Mariette Barbier and her team of researchers working with Bordetella pertussis. Spencer’s efforts contributed to investigating the effects of various adjuvants on vaccine-induced memory for B. pertussis within the context of waning immunity from the current DTaP vaccine. Following graduation, Spencer began working as a research technician for Dr. Barbier and transitioned to his work with small compound drug screening against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This work saw him developing ideal growth conditions for the bacterium to screen established small-molecule antimicrobial agents, in an effort to identify novel molecules that are effective at preventing bacterial growth through machine-learning.

Currently, Spencer is a Ph.D. student in the Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis DirectAdmit program mentored by Dr. Barbier. His work largely focuses on the development and characterization of monoclonal antibodies specific against P. aeruginosa and other pathogens, developed using hybridoma technology, for use as new-age therapeutics in bacterial infections.