Dr. Kalyani Pyaram

Division of Biology
kpyaram@k-state.edu
Departmental Website

T-cells are vital immune cells which play a key role in fighting infections and cancer. Our research focuses on understanding the metabolic mechanisms
governing the T cell mediated immune responses. We are looking into the role of stress-responsive antioxidant system in T cell development and effector
functions. We use a multidisciplinary approach involving immunologic, biochemical and metabolic assays to identify and decipher the role of different
signaling pathways, nutrients and other factors in deciding the fate of T cells and their ability to elicit an immune response against pathogens and tumors.
Natural Killer T cells are innate immune cells which play an important role in cancer surveillance. It is well known that aging is a major risk factor for
cancer development and many pathogenic infections. The primary reason for this is a decline in immune functions with age called immune senescence.
Our group studies the aging-associated metabolic and functional changes in NKT cells with the aim of targeting them to improve NKT-cell mediated
responses in elderly.