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2023
A New Study on Vaginal Lactobacilli and Cervical Homeostasis Published in mSystems
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A new study by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab on the metabolic contributions of vaginal Lactobacillus species to the cervical epithelial homeostasis was published in mSystems. The study revealed that lactobacilli alter metabolites related to amino acid metabolism such as N-acetyl amino acids & aromatic lactic acids. Dr. Nicole Jimenez, a postdoctoral research associate in the Herbst-Kralovetz laboratory, is the first author of the paper. You can read the full article here.
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz Interviewed on Mycoplasma genitalium Infections
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz was interviewed by Salon about a new STI on the rise - Mycoplasma genitalium. In the interview Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz shared some findings from her previous research on this emerging STI using a 3D model of the human cervix. If you interested in the topic, you can read full article here.
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2022
A New Study on COVID-19 Vaccination and Menstrual Cycle Published in Fertility and Sterility
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Highly collaborative work led by Drs. Leslie Farland and Beth Jacobs was recently published in Fertility and Sterility based volunteers that enrolled in the Arizona COVID-19 Cohort (CoVHORT) Study and consented to participate in a Reproductive Sub-Cohort that received a COVID-19 vaccine in 2021. Among vaccinate participants, ~25% reported temporary changes to the menstrual cycle. Overall the COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective for everyone, including pregnant individuals and people trying to conceive; these findings should not discourage vaccination. See the full report here.
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A New Study on Less Invasive Way to Detect Endometrial Cancer Published in Biomarker Research
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A new study by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab on the detection of endometrial cancer using minimally invasive cervicovaginal lavage samples was published in Biomarker Research. This highly translational work was conducted in collaboration with UA Cancer Center, Banner University Medical Center and Arizona Center for Cancer Care. The study provides a proof-of-principle that protein biomarkers associated with endometrial cancer are present in the lower reproductive tract and can be quantified via minimally invasive sampling. You can read the full article here.
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A New Study on Immunometabolic Signatures of Adenomyosis Published in iScience
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iScience recently published a new translational and highly collaborative work from the Herbst-Kralovetz lab on the immunometabolic signatures of patients with adenomyosis, which is a complex and understudied conditions negatively impacting women's health. Georgia Lorentzen, an exchange student from the University of Bath Placement Program in the Herbst-Kralovetz laboratory, was the article's first author. It is Georgia's first publication. Congrats, Georgia! If you interested in the topic, you can directly access the article here.
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz Speaks about the Microbiome at Women's Wellness Retreat Organized by WISH
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz was invited by Women Investing in Science and Health (WISH) to participate in their Women’s Wellness Retreat and give a talk about the microbiome and women's health. WISH is a premier organization of women leaders providing philanthropic support to Banner Health and leading-edge educational programs using evidence-based research to promote and enhance women’s and families’ health and wellness. WISH is a highly regarded affinity group of women leaders in Arizona that promotes and supports women’s and family health by offering evidence-based research, trusted resources and leading-edge, educational opportunities. Each year members vote to fund one or more innovative and leading edge program that directly impacts women and their families within our community.
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The Herbst-Kralovetz Lab Says Goodbye to an Exchange Student from University of Bath
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Georgia returns to the UK this week after spending 9 months in the Herbst-Kralovetz lab as University of Bath undergraduate placement student. We will miss Georgia and wish her the best!
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz Interviewed on Her Research and J. Christian Herr Reproductive Immunology Award
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz was interviewed by the Health Sciences Connect on her recent J. Christian Herr Award, which is given annually to a member of the American Society of Reproductive Immunology, International Society for Immunology of Reproduction or European Society for Reproductive Immunology who has made notable achievements in basic or applied research in reproductive immunology. You can read the interview here.
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A Collaborative Review Article on HPV Vaccines and Cervical Cancer Health Disparities among Native American Women Published in Medical Sciences
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A new review article entitled "Novel Vaccine Strategies and Factors to Consider in Addressing Health Disparities of HPV Infection and Cervical Cancer Development among Native American Women" has been published in Medical Sciences as part of the Special Issue Gynecologic Oncology - Old Controversies and New Strategies. This collaborative work between Dr. Lee's group at Northern Arizona University and Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz's lab at University of Arizona was supported by the Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention (NACP). You can access the article here.
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The Herbst-Kralovetz Lab Awarded a Grant to Investigate Quality of Life in Patients with Adenomyosis
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Drs. McCann and Jimenez received the UA College of Medicine-Phoenix OB/Gyn Section of Research Award. This award will support their collaborative project on adenomyosis and patient reported quality of life outcomes. Congratulations!
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The Herbst-Kralovetz Lab at the Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention Summer Research Retreat
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Drs. Herbst-Kralovetz, Laniewski and Jimenez participated in the Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention (NACP) Summer Research Retreat in Scottsdale this year. It was amazing to get our collaborative NACP team with Drs. Caporaso & Lee Labs together in person after years! Drs. Herbst-Kralovetz, Caporaso and Lee presented on our ongoing and future projects. The retreat also included student poster presentations, round robin sessions with the NACP leadership and cores, as well as an outreach dissemination workshop.
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A Student in the Herbst-Kralovetz Lab Participated in the Frontera 2022 Program
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Vianney Mancilla presented her research project for the Frontera/Blaiser program. The 10-week summer internship aims to equip racially and ethnically underrepresented undergraduate students with mentorship by a UA biomedical researcher, translational research experience, and the skills necessary to become competitive applicants in their pursuit of post-secondary education and research. With the guidance of her mentor, Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz, Vianney successfully presented her project, “Cervicovaginal Bacteria Associated with Bacterial Vaginosis, Human Papillomavirus, and Cervical Cancer Studied in the Latinx Community” at the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium (UROC) poster session.
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Dr. Jimenez Presents at the Infectious Disease Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology (IDSOG) Annual Meeting
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Drs. Herbst-Kralovetz and Jimenez attended the 2022 Infectious Disease Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology (IDSOG) annual meeting in Boston, Massachusetts this summer. Dr. Jimenez was honored at the meeting as an IDSOG Scholar and received a travel award to attend the meeting. Dr. Jimenez was selected for oral abstract session and presented on metabolic contributions of vaginal lactobacilli to the cervicovaginal environment using human 3D cervical epithelial cell models. See the conference program here.
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Nature Portfolio Cancer Community Invites Drs. Maarsingh and Herbst-Kralovetz to Contribute a "Behind the Paper" Blog
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Nature Portfolio Cancer Community: "Behind the Paper" published a blog-type article co-authored by Drs. Maarsingh and Herbst-Kralovetz. The article, titled "Leveraging 3-D models and immunometabolic profiling to understand how vaginal bacteria may promote cancer development", is a short article that provides behind the paper insights into the study and implications from a recent report published by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab in Communications Biology journal. See the link to the original research article and check out the blog here.
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A New Study by the Herbst-Kralovetz Lab on Putative Oncobacteria Published in Communications Biology
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Communications Biology recently published a new metabolomics study by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab on the tumor promoting changes that occur following infection with putative oncobacteria in the female reproductive tract. You can directly access our article here.
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A Book Chapter on Microbial Drug Interactions Published by Royal Society of Chemistry
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Drs. Ilhan and Herbst-Kralovetz recently published a book chapter entitled "Microbial Drug Interactions and Human Health" in Metabolism of Nutrients by Gut Microbiota published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
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Dr. Jimenez Awarded the Postdoctoral Scholarship from the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona
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Dr. Nicole Jimenez, a postdoctoral research associate in the Herbst-Kralovetz Lab, was recently awarded the two-year Sidney Hopkins, Mayola B. Vail and Patricia Ann Hanson Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona to study impact of vaginal bacteria on gynecologic cancers. Congratulations, Nicole! To learn more about Dr. Jimenez's research, see the article here.
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The Future of Translational Research is in Great Hands
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Dr. Nicole Jimenez has been highlighted in the Young Investigator Series. Investigations performed by researchers at UA College of Medicine-Phoenix have accelerated medical innovation and impacted patient lives in Arizona and elsewhere. Young investigators are paving the way to answer complex questions in biomedical research. Read the full story here.
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz Honored J. Christian Herr Award For Her Contributions to Reproductive Immunology
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz participated in the Annual American Society for Reproductive Immunology (ASRI) Meeting in Nashville, TN and presented on human 3D epithelial cell models and immunometabolic impact of vaginal microbiota in gynecologic and reproductive health. During the meeting, Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz was honored J. Christian Herr Award for her outstanding contributions to reproductive immunology. Congratulations!
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The Herbst-Kralovetz Lab Members Presented at the 61st Annual Regional ASM Meeting
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The Herbst-Kralovetz lab members Dr. Nicole Jimenez, Georgia Lorentzen and Michael Khnanisho, participated in the 61st Annual Regional American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Meeting held at Arizona State University on Saturday, April 16th, 2022. Georgia Lorentzen, our University of Bath placement student, was awarded 3rd place for her poster presentation at the meeting. Congratulations Georgia!
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz Interviewed at Women Centered for Beyond The Paper Gown Podcast
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz was interviewed at Women Centered for Beyond The Paper Gown Podcast. In this episode, Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz explains what the biome is, how it changes as women age, and why it’s important to women's health. She also talks about what women can do to keep their biome in balance.
Listen to the podcast and interview here: https://www.womancentered.com/podcasts/episode/1e82c06a/the-vaginal-microbiome-explained You can also read a blog article summarizing the interview here: https://www.womancentered.com/post/the-vaginal-biome |
Roadtrip Nation Documentary Is Live
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Last year, Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz shared her story with a group of three young Arizonans—and the interview is part of a Roadtrip Nation two-episode series called All Paths Arizona! You can watch it online here.
See the hidden gems and inspiring career possibilities available in Arizona. Meet Allisyn “Meeks,” Ezequias “Zeek,” and Jasmin—three young people on a mission to meet and learn from other Arizonans working in education, marketing, government, and more—and follow them as they travel across their home state in search of fulfilling and inspiring career paths. Fueled by Helios Education Foundation, they’ll also explore how they can connect their ambitions and interests to the state’s educational pathways. Along the way, you’ll hear the inspiring stories of other Arizonans who have made an incredible impact on their home state. |
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A New Collaborative Study on Cervicovaginal Virome Published in mSystems
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mSystems recently published a new original research study by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab in collaboration with Dr. Lim from the Biodesign Institute (Arizona State University) and our clinical partner Dr. Chase. In this study, we conducted metagenomic next-generation sequencing of cervicovaginal lavage specimens to investigate the relationship between DNA virome, bacterial microbiome, genital inflammation, and HPV infection. Our results revealed prominent virome interactions with features of the cervicovaginal microenvironment that are associated with HPV and cervical cancer, such as genital inflammation and microbiota composition. You can find the original article here.
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The Herbst-Kralovetz Lab Contributed to Nature Microbiology Issue Marking the International Women's Day
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Happy International Women's Day! To celebrate this day and the Women's History Month, the March issue of Nature Microbiology journal focused on women in microbiology and women's health. Drs. Laniewski and Herbst-Kralovetz contributed to this special topic issue with a comment on healthy ageing, menopause and microbiome. Follow this link to see all specially commissioned articles highlighting gender inequalities that impact women in academia, clinical research and healthcare, and celebrate the achievements of female microbiologists, as well as research related to women's health. Check out our article here.
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Bringing Discoveries to the Patient’s Bedside
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz was interviewed on the importance of translational science along with colleagues across University of Arizona. Check out the UAHS Connect article here.
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Increased Funding for Research in Women’s Health Issues Could Unleash Staggering Returns
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Check out a commentary in Fortune magazine discussing funding for research in women's health. The article was highlighted in the February newsletter from the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH). You can access it here.
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A New Collaborative Study on Multi-Omics Published in PLoS Computational Biology
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PLoS Computational Biology recently published a new original research study by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab in collaboration with Northern Arizona University (Dr. Caporaso), ETH Zurich (Dr. Bokulich and his team) and our clinical partner (Dr. Chase). The study utilized a multi-omics approach to predict the features of local microenvironment, such as vaginal microbiome, genital inflammation and cervical neoplasm. The analyses revealed metabolome as the top predictor of the cervicovaginal microenvironment . You can access the original article here.
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2021
Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz Interviewed by Contemporary OB/GYN
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz was interviewed by Contemporary OB/GYN about her recent review article in Human Reproduction Update on connection between endometriosis and the microbiome in collaboration with Drs. Nichole Mahnert and Leslie Farland and trainee Mary Salliss. Contemporary OB/GYN is a monthly publication dedicated to translating science into sound clinical practice for its audience of more than 45,000 obstetricians and gynecologists. If you are interested in the topic you can read the interview here. You can also access the review article by following this link.
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A New Study by the Herbst-Kralovetz Lab Published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
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Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology recently published a new study by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab on the immunometabolic contributions of Mobiluncus mulieris and Eggerthella spp. to the hallmarks of bacterial vaginosis. Ross McKenzie, an exchange student from the Bath University Placement Program in the Herbst-Kralovetz laboratory, was the article's first author. The article is a part of the research topic: "The Female Reproductive Tract Microbiome - Gatekeeper for Sexual and Reproductive Health" (follow the link to see all articles included in this topic). You can directly access our article here.
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Nature Portfolio Microbiology Community Invites Drs. Pawel Laniewski and Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz to Contribute a "Behind the Paper" Blog
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Nature Portfolio Microbiology Community: "Behind the Paper" published a blog-type article co-authored by Drs. Laniewski and Herbst-Kralovetz. The article, titled "The power of 3D tissue models and omics technologies for studying bacterial vaginosis and the functional impact of the vaginal microbiome", is a short article that provides behind the paper insights into the study and implications from a recent report published by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab in the journal NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes. See the link to the original research article and check out the blog here.
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A New Study by the Herbst-Kralovetz Lab Published in NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes
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NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes recently published a new original research study by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab on the immunometabolic function of vaginal lactobacilli and key microbes associated with bacterial vaginosis (BV). The study utilized a 3D model of the human cervix, omics, and polymicrobial infection to better understand mechanisms linking BV with poor gynecologic and obstetric health outcomes. You can access the article here.
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A Collaborative Review Article on Microbiome, Endometriosis, Infertility and Chronic Pelvic Pain Published in Human Reproduction Update
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Our highly collaborative work between UA College of Medicine-Phoenix (Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz), UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, Tucson (Dr. Farland) and Banner University Medical Center-Phoenix (Dr. Mahnert) on the role of microbiome and estrobolome in patients with endometriosis, infertility and chronic pelvic pain is out in Human Reproduction Update. Mary Salliss, an exchange student from the Bath University Placement Program in the Herbst-Kralovetz lab, was the article's first author. You can read the article here.
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A Medical Student in the Herbst-Kralovetz Lab Awarded a Research Grant from the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
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Rachel Mendoza (MS2) in the Herbst-Kralovetz Lab has been selected for the College of Medicine-Phoenix Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Excellence & Innovation Research Grant. Her project will focus on healthcare disparities of women with endometrial cancer.
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A Review Article on HPV Vaccines among Native Americans Published in Current Oncology
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Our highly collaborative Native American Cancer Prevention Project between Northern Arizona University and UArizona College of Medicine-Phoenix and the UArizona Cancer Center has led to a review in Current Oncology entitled “Designing Inclusive HPV Cancer Vaccines and Increasing Uptake among Native Americans—A Cultural Perspective Review”—check it out here.
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz Featured by the UA Health Sciences in Honor of Women in Medicine Month
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Throughout the month of September we will feature women at the University of Arizona Health Sciences in honor of Women in Medicine Month. We asked these women about their inspirations, mentoring experience, professional goals and what advice they would give their younger selves. Join us as we celebrate some of our amazing health science professional women. See the interview on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
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Dr. Kate Rhodes visits the Herbst-Kralovetz Lab
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Dr. Kate Rhodes from the So lab in Tucson visited the Herbst-Kralovetz lab up in Phoenix to conduct highly collaborative work sponsored by the UA BIO5 Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship and UAHS Precision Defense Initiative!
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The Herbst-Kralovetz Lab Says Goodbye to an Exchange Student from University of Bath
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Ross returned to the UK this week after spending 8 months in the Herbst-Kralovetz lab as University of Bath undergraduate placement student. We will miss Ross and wish him the best back in the UK!
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The Herbst-Kralovetz Lab Reatreat
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On Aug. 13th, the Herbst-Kralovetz Lab had an all day research retreat and planning session for the Fall semester ahead. Grateful for this team and the opportunity to come together and geek out on science all day!
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A Student in the Herbst-Kralovetz Lab Participated in the Frontera 2021 Program
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On Aug. 6th, Airam Mellisa Arce Parra presented on our her research from the Herbst-Kralovetz lab for the Frontera Program. The FRONTERA 2021 program selects students from rural and US-Mexico border origins, first-generation college, socio-economically disadvantaged, federally-recognized Native American tribes, and racial and ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in medicine (Hispanic, Native American, and African American) to complete a 10-week summer internship program culminating in presenting their research at the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium (UROC) poster session. See the link to the program for more details.
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A Student in the Herbst-Kralovetz Lab Awarded an IDSOG Scholarship
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Ross McKenzie, an exchange student from the Bath University Placement Program in the Herbst-Kralovetz lab, was honored to be the Infectious Diseases Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology (IDSOG) scholar. At the IDSOG 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting this summer, Ross will present a poster entitled "Immunometabolic Analysis of Mobiluncus mulieris and Eggerthella sp. Reveals Novel Insights into Their Pathogenic Contributions to the Hallmarks of Bacterial Vaginosis". See the conference program here.
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Dr Laniewski presents at the STI & HIV 2021 World Congress
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Dr Laniewski was selected to give an oral presentation at the STI & HIV 2021 World Congress (virtual from Amsterdam, the Netherlands) this summer. Dr Laniewski presented on how cervicovaginal microbiota distinctly modulate the immunometabolic microenvironment in a human three-dimensional cervical model. See the conference program here.
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A New Study by the Herbst-Kralovetz Lab Published in NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes
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NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes, a journal of the Nature Publishing Group, recently published a new study by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab entitled "Veillonellaceae family members uniquely alter the cervicovaginal metabolic microenvironment in a human three-dimensional epithelial model". Mary Salliss, an exchange student from the Bath University Placement Program in the Herbst-Kralovetz laboratory, was the article's first author. The study reveals unique insights into the specific contributions of Veillonellaceae members, such as Veillonella atypica, Veillonella montpellierensis and Megasphaera micronuciformis, to the pathogenesis of BV and women’s health. The article was highlighted by the BIO5 and UAHS newsrooms (to read the full story see the links). You can also access the original NPJ article here.
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Fixing the ‘Leaky Pipeline’ to Elevate Women to Leadership
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Health Sciences professional women’s groups are helping to create campus cultures where female faculty can thrive at all levels. See the full article on the Health Science Connect.
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Road Trip Nation Visited the Herbst-Kralovetz Lab
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In May Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz filmed with Road Trip Nation crew on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus. Roadtrippers interviewed Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz about her career path in biomedical sciences and toured her lab. Stay tuned for the episode to air on PBS in fall 2021.
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Women's Health Update Presented by the Department of OBGYN
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz highlights work from the Women's Health Microbiome Initiative in this issue of Women's Health Update newsletter. See the newsletter here.
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Our Recent Review Article Highlighted in the Nature Portfolio Women's Health Collection
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Our recent Nature Reviews Urology article entitled "The microbiome and gynaecological cancer development, prevention and therapy" was highlighted in the Nature portfolio Women's Health collection, which provides in-depth discussions of recent research and medical advances in fields covering women’s health in the broadest sense. Topics covered include sexual function, sexual and reproductive health, pregnancy and childbirth, breast and gynecological cancers, as well as organ-specific diseases and conditions that exclusively, predominantly or differentially affect people with female-specific organs and hormonal cycles. The collection was published on Mar 8, 2021. See the collection of articles here.
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An Undergraduate Student in the Herbst-Kralovetz Lab Awarded a GFRP Fellowship from the NSF
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Camryn Garza, an ASU Honors College undergraduate student in the Herbst-Kralovetz laboratory at UA COM-Phoenix, recently applied and was awarded a graduate research fellowship from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GFRP). Camryn is applying to graduate programs across the nation and the NSF GFRP will provide her with three-year funding, including stipend and tuition assistance, for her graduate studies in bioengineering. Camryn recently defended her Honor's thesis based on research performed in the Herbst-Kralovetz lab and will graduating in May. We wish Camryn all the best in her future endeavors!
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Endometriosis: Improving Women’s Health by Studying Disease Association
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During National Endometriosis Awareness Month, The BIO5 Institute is highlighting researchers’ efforts to tackle this common women’s health problem. Dr. Leslie Farland from the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health is collaborating with Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz and Dr. Nichole Mahnert from the UArizona College of Medicine - Phoenix on future projects to assess the relationship between endometriosis and the microbiome. Results from these studies may help to inform better disease detection and treatment methods. See the article here.
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The Immunity, Inflammation and Aging Link: Building Better Defense against Disease
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Drs. Herbst-Kralovetz and Ken Knox at UA College of Medicine-Phoenix serve on an UArizona Strategic Initiative advisory committee led by Dr. Nikolich-Zugich to study immunity, inflammation and aging. According to Dr. Nikolich-Zugich, "all degenerative diseases have two things in common--aging and inflammation. See the full story here.
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January Is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month
2020
The Herbst-Kralovetz Laboratory awarded by the Women Investing in Science and Health (WISH) at Banner to develop an innovative screening for endometriosis
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In December, Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz participated in a fast-pitch competition sponsored by the Women Investing in Science and Health (WISH) at Banner Health awarded the Herbst-Kralovetz Lab $50,000 to develop an innovative health screen for endometriosis. WISH, is a giving circle dedicated to health issues affecting women and their families, including Alzheimer's disease and care giving. Members of WISH pool their gifts and decide together how best to invest their collective funds in programs important to women and their families. See Twitter
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Two postdoctoral fellows awarded BIO5 Fellowships to conduct collaborative work with the Herbst-Kralovetz Lab on human 3D in vitro models
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Drs. Kate Rhodes (So Lab) and Rob Jackson (Van Doorslaer Lab) were both awarded BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellowships to support travel to the Herbst-Kralovetz lab to conduct collaborative research using our 3D bioreactor technology and models. For more information on the awardees and projects see Twitter.
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A new protocol paper by the Van Doorslaer and Herbst-Kralovetz Laboratories on 3D models to study papillomavirus-host interactions
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The Van Doorslaer and Herbst-Kralovetz Laboratories collaborated on a recent Current Protocols paper entitled "3D Oral and Cervical Tissue Models for Studying Papillomavirus Host-Pathogen Interactions". Drs. Rob Jackson (Van Doorslaer Lab) and Jason Maarsingh (Herbst-Kralovetz Lab) are co-first authors. You can access the protocol here.
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UACC highlights work from the Herbst-Kralovetz lab related to a recent report on detection of cancer biomarkers in the cervicovaginal microenvironment
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The University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) published a news article that highlights recent discoveries from the Herbst-Kralovetz lab related to cancer biomarkers in the cervicovaginal microenvironment. Our findings have important implications for the development of minimally invasive diagnostic tools that may be used to screen patients for cervical cancer and evaluate the effectiveness of immune checkpoint blockade therapy. You can read the UACC article here and access the research article here.
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Women in Medicine and Science Month: College Recognizes Remarkable Women Fighting COVID-19
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The University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix (UA COM-P) Newsroom published an online article that highlights both the incredible efforts led by women in science and the hurdles women disproportionately face from during the COVID-19 crisis. "According to Dr. Gallitano, now that schools, daycares, elder-care services and other resources are closed, families have to take on this work that was previously done by others. This extra work more often falls on women whose to-do lists are typically already maxed-out." The article features interviews from UA COM-P female researchers, including Dr. Amelia Gallitano, Dr. Taben Hale, and Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz. Additionally, we celebrate Women in Medicine and Science during the month of September. You can read the full article here.
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Integrated multi-omics study by Herbst-Kralovetz lab and collaborators at Northern Arizona University (NAU) is available on medRxiv.
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Highly collaborative work with our collaborators at NAU is now available by preprint on the medRxiv website. The study, titled "Integration of multi-omics data improves prediction of cervicovaginal microenvironment in cervical cancer" is a culmination and integration of multiple projects that utilized diverse cutting-edge "omics" technologies to predict features of the cervicovaginal microenvironment (genital inflammation, disease status, etc). We thank our collaborators from NAU (Dr. Greg Caporaso), AZ Oncology (Dr. Dana Chase), and Institute of Food, Nutrition, and Health in Zurich, Switzerland (Dr. Bokulich for working with us on this exciting project!) Stay tuned for the publication. Until then, you can download and cite the preprint article here.
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New collaborative study by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab and Dr. Brotman at University of Maryland investigates how lubricants impact healthy vaginal bacteria
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The journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases published a new report by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab and collaborator Dr. Rebecca Brotman of the University of Maryland. This paper describes how personal and clinical vaginal lubricants impact the viability of health-associated lactobacilli, a group of bacteria that provide protective functions in the cervicovaginal microenvironment. The study demonstrates that vaginally applied personal and clinical lubricants containing chlorhexidine gluconate or nonoxynol-9 significantly inhibited lactobacilli growth and may therefore deplete these health-associated bacteria. Clinically, depletion of lactobacilli can lead to overgrowth of diverse anaerobic bacteria, leading to a polymicrobial infection called bacterial vaginosis. Bacterial vaginosis is associated with a broad range of gynecological disorders, such as preterm birth, spontaneous abortion, and increased susceptibility to infection with human papillomavirus (HPV), the latter of which causes cervical cancer. You can access the article here.
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Nature Research Cancer Community invites Drs. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz and Pawel Laniewski to contribute a "Behind the Paper" post
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Nature Research Cancer Community: "Behind the Paper" published a blog-type article co-authored by Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz and Dr. Laniewski. The article, titled "Immune checkpoint proteins in the local cervicovaginal cancer microenvironment", is a short article that provides behind the paper insights into the study and implications from a recent report published by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab and collaborators in the journal Nature Precision Oncology (access the article here). We reported for the first time that key cancer biomarkers can be detected in cervicovaginal lavages. Importantly, quantitative levels of these proteins can discriminate between women with or without cervical cancer. You can read the full blog-type article here.
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A new study by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab published in NPJ Precision Oncology
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Precision Oncology, a journal of the Nature Publishing Group (NPJ), recently published a new study by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab titled "Vaginal microbiota, genital inflammation, and neoplasia impact immune checkpoint protein profiles in the cervicovaginal microenvironment". Dr. Pawel Laniewski, a Research Scientist in the Herbst-Kralovetz lab, was the article's lead author and included collaborators from the University of Arizona in Tucson. The study reveals biomarkers that may be used for the early detection of cervical cancer in a minimally invasive manner. You can access the article here.
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UArizona First newsroom features a recent publication by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab
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The UArizona First newsroom highlighted a recent article by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab published in the Journal of Infectious Disease. The study describes how different species within the genus Prevotella, a bacterium frequently found in women suffering from bacterial vaginosis (BV), influence the disease process. BV is the most common gynecological disorder in women and is associated with preterm birth, spontaneous abortions and increased susceptibility to viral infections, such as HIV and HPV. Dr. Esra Ilhan, a former postdoctoral researcher in the Herbst-Kralovetz lab, lead the study and discovered that Prevotella exhibit species-specific cytotoxicity and negatively impact the barrier function of 3-D endometrial cells. You can read the full UArizona First article here and access the JID journal article here.
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UA Health Sciences showcases the Herbst-Kralovetz lab research efforts and interviews Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz
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The UA Health Sciences department published an interview with Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz that highlights our lab's research interests. In this article, Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz describes how "good" or "bad" bacteria of the cervicovaginal environment may help to prevent or promote, respectively, HPV-mediated cervical cancer. The interview also spotlights an ongoing study by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab which aims to provide correlations between the vaginal microbiome and endometrial cancer. This will be the largest study of its kind and the data will provide important clues into how specific bacteria of the cervicovaginal environment impact the development of endometrial cancer. You can read the article here and view the video interview here. Photos courtesy of the University of Arizona Health Sciences .
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The Journal of Infectious Disease publishes a new study by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab
On June 9, 2020, The Journal of Infectious Disease (JID) published a report from the Herbst-Kralovetz lab titled "Members of Prevotella genus distinctively modulate innate immune and barrier functions in a human three-dimensional endometrial epithelial cell model". Dr. Esra Ilhan was the first author on this study and was co-authored by Dr. Pawel Laniewski, Adriana Tonachio, and Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz, all members of the Herbst-Kralovetz laboratory. The article investigated how members of the genus Prevotella, a group of bacteria that are frequently isolated from women suffering from bacterial vaginosis, negatively impact 3-D biomimetic endometrial cells in vitro. This study provides novel and valuable mechanistic insights into how Prevotella promote disease processes in bacterial vaginosis. You can access and read the full-length article here.
Phoenix mayor Kate Gallego speaks at the Spring WIMS meeting
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The Women in Medicine and Science (WIMS) 3rd Annual Spring Dinner was reimagined as a virtual gathering focused on leadership development, self-discovery and networking. The event theme's was Leadership, Equity & Resilience with special guest keynote speaker, City of Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. Mayor Gallego is the second elected woman Mayor in Phoenix history and the youngest big city Mayor in the United States. The event was held on May 28, 2020
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Senator Martha McSally discusses women's health with UA researchers
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Arizona senator Martha McSally spent time via an online Zoom meeting with the Executive Committee of The Women in Medicine and Science at UA COM-P to discuss important challenges facing women researchers, promote women’s health research, NIH funding inequities for women and the COVID-19 response in Arizona. We appreciate the support our Arizona legislative leaders provide as we continually strive to improve women’s health and equality and bring these important issues to light!
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A Herbst-Kralovetz lab publication was in the top 100 downloaded cancer articles in 2019!
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We are proud to announce that a 2019 article published by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab and collaborators titled "Features of the cervicovaginal microenvironment drive cancer biomarker signatures in patients across cervical carcinogenesis" was among the top 100 downloaded cancer articles in Scientific Reports last year! Scientific Reports, a peer-reviewed journal from the Nature Research group, published more than 1,024 cancer papers in 2019. Dr. Pawel Laniewski, the Herbst-Kralovetz lab's Research Scientist, was the study's lead author. You can read the full article here.
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UA spotlights the Herbst-Kralovetz Nature Reviews Urology article
The UA College of Medicine-Phoenix Newsroom showcased the recently-published Nature Reviews Urology article authored by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab. The Newsroom article interviewed Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz and emphasizes the need for additional funding and research in the field of women's health and gynecological cancers. Read the full Newsroom article here.
Herbst-Kralovetz lab members present at the UA IMB Symposium
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The UA hosted the Frontiers in Immunobiology & Immunopathogenesis Symposium in at the BIO5 Institute in Tucson, AZ on March 6, 2020. Herbst-Kralovetz undergraduate researchers Camryn Garza, Michael Khnanisho, and Mary Salliss along with postdoctoral researcher Dr. Jason Maarsingh each presented a poster highlighting their most recent research activities. The event was marked by a panel of speakers providing excellent discussions on how the immune system interacts with and responds to pathogens, tumorigenesis, and the microbiome.
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JID choses Herbst-Kralovetz lab SEM image for the March 2020 cover
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The latest issue of The Journal of Infectious Disease features an image generated by the Herbst-Kralovetz lab! The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image shows 3-D human cervical cells infected and colonized by a polymicrobial cocktail consisting of common bacteria recovered from women suffering from bacterial vaginosis (Gardnerella vaginalis, Prevotella bivia, Atopobium vaginae, and Sneathia amnii). We are proud to be represented in a respected journal that we ourselves has been published in numerous times! To see the cover, access the JID main website here.
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Herbst-Kralovetz undergraduate researcher Camryn Garza accepted into John Hopkins summer research program
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Camryn Garza, an undergraduate researcher in the Herbst-Kralovetz lab, was recently accepted into the prestigious Johns Hopkins Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates Program! Camryn will be participating in state-of-the art NanoBioTechnology research. We will miss her presence over the summer, but wish her the best of luck!
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The Herbst-Kralovetz lab published in Nature Review Urology
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Nature Reviews Urology published "The microbiome and gynaecological cancer development, prevention and therapy", an extensive review authored by Herbst-Kralovetz lab members Drs. Pawel Laniewski, Esra Ihlan, and Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz. This literature review covers fundamental aspects of the female reproductive tract microbiota and implications for cancer development and progression. Get the full article here or a read-only version here.
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The UA and NASEM promote minority education and employment in STEM fields
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The University of Arizona and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine (NASEM) held a town hall meeting on January 23, 2020 to advance STEM equity at Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). The town hall attracted faculty, staff, students and administrators to openly discuss strategies to promote STEM education and workforce preparation in STEM fields. Racial equality is needed now more than ever. When minority students are dissuaded from embarking upon STEM careers, we miss out on important societal contributions afforded by thousands of brilliant minds. We are proud to uphold the University of Arizona's mission to provide inclusive educational and work place environments for people of all racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds!
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz speaks on STEM equity at the UA in Tucson
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz gave a speech on gender equity in STEM fields at the University of Arizona in Tucson. The town hall meeting promoted the advancement of equity across genders, ethnic minorities, and first-generation students. Breaking barriers one speech at a time!
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz presents for WISP
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Women Inspiring Scientific Progress (WISP) held the Refresh Recharge Renew YOU charity event at the Seasons 52 in Phoenix on January 9, 2020. Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz was invited to give a speech titled "Microbiome Research and Women's Health". WISP, a giving circle affiliated with Banner Health, is dedicated to addressing health issues affecting women and their families and sponsors scholarships to promote women seeking education in science and medicine. Discover how you can donate to WISP and enjoy the benefits associated with membership at their website.
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UA Cancer Center awarded NCI grant
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The University of Arizona Cancer Center was awarded a $6.85 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to study cancer in Native Americans and promote training and outreach services for Arizona Native Americans. The award is sponsored though the Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention (NACP) and is a partnership with Northern Arizona University (NAU). You can read the announcement here. The Herbst-Kralovetz lab is excited to embark on a collaborative project with the Caporaso and Lee labs from NAU to address Native American cancer health disparities.
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2019
Dr. Jameson Gardner graduates from ASU
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Dr. Jameson Gardner officially earned his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from ASU! The hooding ceremony, held at Desert Financial Arena on the ASU campus on December 16, 2019, is a culmination of all the hard work and accomplishments during Dr. Gardner's graduate studies. Dr. Gardner becomes the first Ph.D. student graduated by Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz and is currently studying patent law at BYU. We are excited for Dr. Gardner's new trajectory and with him the best of luck in his future endeavors!
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The AAAS recognizes the Herbst-Kralovetz lab's work on IL-36gamma
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EurekAlert!, an online news source hosted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), published an article on December 13, 2019 that highlights findings from the Herbst-Kralovetz's lab regarding the proinflammatory cytokine, IL-36gamma, in the female reproductive tract and its role in bacterial vaginosis. This work, which was published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases on October 5, 2019, was a collaborative effort of the Herbst-Kralovetz lab with Emory University and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. You can read the full article here.
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Herbst-Kralovetz lab members present at the UA reImagine Health Conference
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The UA hosted the second annual reImagine Health Conference on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus on November 20th, 2019. As an invited speaker for the Gene-Environment panel, Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz highlighted the exciting work performed in her lab (Tackling Cancer Health Disparities in Women through Integrated Multi-Omics Approaches) while undergraduate lab members Sylvia Karjala, Michael Khnanisho, and Mary Salliss, along with Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Jason Maarsingh, each presented a poster describing their current research endeavors. Congratulations to Michael Khnanisho as the recipient of the Best Undergraduate Abstract! Michael received a $100 prize and a plaque for his outstanding effort. We're proud to have his talents in our lab!
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The University of Arizona hosts the National Leaders of Women in Medicine and Science Symposium
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The University of Arizona, in conjunction with the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), hosted the National Leaders of Women in Medicine and Science (WIMS) Symposium on November 8, 2019. WIMS, which is part of the UA Office of Diversity and Inclusion, promotes the advancement, leadership and success for women faculty in all roles within academic medicine an science. The symposium brought speakers from around the country to share their insights and guidance on fostering a thriving WIMS program. Highlighted by keynote speaker, Dr. Elizabeth L. Travis, other presenters included Diana Lautenberger, MAT, and Drs. Cheryl O'Malley, Martha Gulati, Indu Partha, Jaime D. Lewis, and Amparo Villablanca.
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Lab members Mary Salliss and Danyelle Pain represent the Herbst-Kralovetz lab at the AAMC Arizona Nights Colors of the Desert reception
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Undergraduate student, Mary Salliss, and graduate student, Danyelle Pain, showcase the research efforts of the Herbst-Kralovetz members during the AAMC reception on Saturday, November 6, 2019. This open-house event highlights the talented scientists, medical staff, and local artists of the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix. Shown in the slideshow to the left are examples of our lab's bioreactor cell culture apparatus, which is used to grow 3-D human cells which better resemble feature of in vivo tissue and allow us to more accurately study the physiology and infectious outcomes of tissue from the femal reproductive tract.
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UA Health Sciences Strategic Initiative highlights the work of Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz
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The UA Tomorrow is Here, a new TV, digital, and social media campaign, highlights the Health Sciences Strategic Initiative. In this issue, Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz was interviewed for an article titled Bad Bugs: The Vaginal Microbiome and Cancer, where she describes how the vaginal bacterial community may impact the development and progression of cervical cancer. Read the full article here.
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UA BMS researcher, Dr. Taben Hale, selected as a recipient of the Arizona Capitol Times’ inaugural Women Achievers of Arizona award
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Congratulations to Dr. Taben Hale! This award recognizes women who excel in their profession and impart positive impacts in the community to better the lives of Arizonans.
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Dr. Jameson Gardner and Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz recognized by the US News & World Report, Futurity, and Health Day for their work in IL-36gamma
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Three news sources, The US News & World Report, Futurity, and HealthDay, recently published articles based on the research of Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz and Dr. Gardner, a recent graduate of the Herbst-Kralovetz lab. The article highlights the contributions both researchers made toward elucidating how an immune protein, IL-36γ, protects against Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) infection in the female reproductive tract. Their research was recently published in The Journal of Immunology. To read each report, click on the links for US News & World Report, Futurity, and HealthDay.
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Herbst-Kralovetz undergraduate, Camryn Garza, awarded the ASU Quesada Scholarship
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Congratulations to Camryn for being selected as a recipient of the 2019 Quesada Scholarship offered through Arizona State University Barrett’s Honors College! This award provides research funding for the honors research projects of outstanding undergraduate students. The Quesada Scholarship was created to improve understanding and well-being of the Hispanic community while assisting interdisciplinary work of Hispanic researchers.
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Dr. Pawel Laniewski presents at the AACR conference in San Francisco, CA
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Drs. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz and Pawel Laniewski attended the 12th American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved in September. Dr. Laniewski presented a poster titled "Integrative multi-omics approach reveals complex interplay between HPV, host and microbiome during cervical carcinogenesis in Hispanic women and non-Hispanic women".
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Herbst-Kralovetz lab member, Dr. Jason Maarsingh, presents at the first annual Arizona Postdoctoral Research Conference at the UofA College of Medicine-Phoenix
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Herbst-Kralovetz postdoc, Dr. Jason Maarsingh, presented "Comparative transcriptomics reveals PrrAB-mediated control of metabolic, respiration, energy-generating, and dormancy pathways in Mycobacterium smegmatis". The manuscript for this data was recently accepted for publication in BMC Genomics and was part of his doctoral dissertation project in the lab of Dr. Shelley Haydel and the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University.
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New paper published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases highlights the influence of lubricants on the vaginal microenvironment and epithelial barrier
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This work was a collaborative research effort between Drs. Rebecca Brotman and Herbst-Kralovetz. Herbst-Kralovetz lab members, Ellen Wilkinson and Dr. Pawel Laniewski co-authored "Personal and clinical vaginal lubricants: Impact on local vaginal microenvironment and implications for epithelial cell host response and barrier function". The manuscript was recently published in JID. This was an NIH NIAID supported project and we are proud of Ellen, as this is her first original research article!
Read the paper here: https://academic.oup.com/jid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/infdis/jiz412/5563809 |
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12th Annual American Association for Cancer Research (AARC) Meeting on Health Disparities
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Drs. Herbst-Kralovetz and Łaniewski will be presenting at the 12th Annual AACR Conference of The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and Medically Underserved. They will be presenting at poster session A on Friday evening, September 20th. Come check it out to learn more about our work on cervical cancer in Hispanic women. Details about the conference webpage can be found at https://www.aacr.org/Meetings/Pages/MeetingDetail.aspx?EventItemID=183.
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz speaks at Banner University Medical Center in Phoenix
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On September 5th, 2019, Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz gave a presentation at the Banner University Medical Center in Phoenix to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residents regarding ongoing collaborative research projects and opportunities to participate in research.
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September is Gynecologic Cancer Awareness month!
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This is a great time to promote the education, importance, and awareness of cancers occurring in the female reproductive tract. Our lab is generously supported by the Flinn Foundation and Mary Kay Foundation to study how the microbiome (bacterial communities) of the female reproductive tract impacts cervical and endometrial cancer. Follow Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz on Twitter @HerbstKralovetz to access public resources to increase your knowledge of these devastating diseases (#GynecologicCancerAwarenessMonth, #WomensHealth). Educate yourself and loved ones about the symptoms of gynecologic cancer!
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Jameson Gardner, Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz's first grad student, earns his Ph.D.
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Congratulations to Dr. Jameson Gardner, who successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation on August 29th, 2019! Jameson is currently attending BYU law school to pursue a career in patent law. The Herbst-Kralovetz lab will miss Jameson as he embarks on his new career and adventure, but are very proud of his accomplishments during his time in the lab.
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The Herbst-Kralovetz lab says goodbye to some members and welcomes new members
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We had lunch at Taco Chelo in Phoenix to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of undergraduate Kimberly Owens (University of Bath exchange program), Lab Technician Erin Jackson, and graduate student Jameson Gardner (ASU) as they move on to new and exciting opportunities! At the same time, we welcome incoming undergraduate students Mary Salliss (University of Bath exchange program), Michael Khnanisho (ASU), Sylvia Karjala (ASU, not in picture), and Camryn Garza (ASU, not in picture) along with our new postdoctoral researcher, Jason Maarsingh. We're excited to get to work as a team as we tackle important diseases affecting women's health.
Pictured left-to-right: Kimberly Owens, Mary Salliss, Erin Jackson, Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz, Michael Khnanisho, Dr. Pawel Łaniewski, Dr. Jameson Gardner, Dr. Jason Maarsingh |
Drs. Herbst-Kralovetz and Laniewski present at 2019 IDSOG Meeting
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Drs. Herbst-Kralovetz and Laniewski presented at the 2019 Infectious Disease Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology (IDSOG) annual meeting in Big Sky, Montana. Dr. Laniewski was honored at the meeting as an IDSOG Scholar and received a travel award to attend the meeting. |
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2019 BMS Summer Internship Wraps Up
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The 2019 BMS Summer Internship Program ended on July 19th with a poster session for all of the interns in the program. Elena D'Avanzo presented on her work in the Herbst-Kralovetz lab on vaginal bacteria and lubricants. |
Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz speaks at the 2019 STI & HIV World Congress
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz gave a talk at the 2019 STI and HIV World Congress in Vancouver, British Columbia. At the meeting Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz stopped by the Giant Microbes booth to take a picture with HSV-2 as part of their campaign to #StopSTIgma.
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz selected for the 2019-2020 Academic Leadership Institute
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz was selected as one of 27 incoming participants in the Academic Leadership Institute (ALI) for 2019-2020. The ALI is a yearlong program through the Office of the Provost and the Division of Human Resources that includes half-day and full-day workshops, along with individualized leadership coaching to train and prepare current and future University leaders.
Read the press release for more information about the ALI program here: https://tinyurl.com/y6lgnsm5 |
UA College of Medicine - Phoenix WIMS holds 2nd Annual Dinner
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The UA College of Medicine - Phoenix Women in Medicine and Science (WIMS) held its 2nd Annual Dinner on June 26th. Dr. Allison Vaillancourt gave a thought-provoking keynote address titled "What Are Your Sources of Power?" |
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NIH Director calls for the end of "Manels"
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Dr. Francis Collins, Direction of the National Institutes of Health released a statement on July 12th calling for the end of "manels" at scientific meetings and other high-level conferences. The call for the end of "manels" comes as part of a push to create an inclusive and diverse scientific community and is coupled with a recent report from the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine titled, "Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequence in Academic Science, Engineering, and Medicine."
Read the statement from Dr. Collins here: https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/nih-director/statements/time-end-manel-tradition Read the National Academy report here: https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24994/sexual-harassment-of-women-climate-culture-and-consequences-in-academic |
2019 BMS High School Summer Internship Program Begins
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The 2019 BMS High School Summer Internship program started on June 10th. Elena D'Avanzo, a high school senior will be working in the Herbst-Kralovetz lab during the 6-week program. |
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Arizona Symposium on Virology, Immunology, Microbiomes and Infectious Disease held at UA COM-P
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The 2019 Arizona Symposium on Virology, Immunology, Microbiomes and Infectious Disease (VIMID) was held at the UA College of Medicine Phoenix on Friday June 7th. This annual meeting is part of the Arizona Wellbeing Commons. Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz and Dr. Greg Caporaso co-chaired a session titled "Apply Microbiome Research to Enhance Health Outcomes." At the meeting Dr. Pawel Laniewski presented recent research findings in a "rapid fire" talk and on a poster, and Kim Owen also presented a poster. |
Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz interviewed by Nature Podcast
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz was interviewed by Nature Podcast and provided commentary on a new publication from Zimmerman et al. titled, "Mapping human microbiome drug metabolism by gut bacteria and their genes."
Listen to the podcast and interview here: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01775-6 Read the paper from Zimmerman et al. here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1291-3 |
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Pawel Laniewski awarded IDSOG Trainee Travel Scholar Award
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Research scientist Dr. Pawel Laniewski has been awarded the IDSOG Trainee Travel Scholar Award to attend the Infectious Diseases Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology (IDSOG) 2019 Annual Meeting in Big Sky, MT this August.
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Mary Kay Foundation social media features Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz
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The Mary Kay Foundation recently featured Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz as one of their grant awardees on their Facebook page. Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz received a Mary Kay Foundation Cancer Research Grant in 2018 to investigate links between the genital microbiome, immune mediators, and endometrial cancer.
See the post here: https://tinyurl.com/y5vnvtm |
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New paper published in JCI Insight in collaboration with the CDC and Emory University
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Former University of Bath placement student James Baker and Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz co-authored a report titled "Chronic immune barrier dysregulation among women with a history of violence victimization" that was recently published in JCI Insight. The paper was published as part of a collaboration led by research teams at the CDC and Emory University.
Read the paper here: https://tinyurl.com/y2wjn57h |
New publication in Scientific Reports on cancer biomarkers and cervical carcinogenesis
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The Herbst-Kralovetz lab in collaboration with statisticians, scientists, and physicians from UACC, Dignity Health, and MIHS published a new paper in Scientific Reports on May 14th titled "Features of the cervicovaginal microenvironment drive cancer biomarker signatures in patients across cervical carcinogenesis" in Scientific Reports.
Read the paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-43849-5 |
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Graduate student invited to speak at Immunology 2019
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Jameson Gardner, a 4th year graduate student in the Herbst-Kralovetz lab, was selected to give an oral presentation during the "Viruses and Innate Immune Effectors" session of the Immunology 2019 conference in San Diego, CA. Jameson was awarded the AAI Trainee Abstract Award, ASU SOLS Graduate Student Travel Award, and the ASU GPSA Individual Travel Grant to provide funding to attend the conference.
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Herbst-Kralovetz lab publishes paper on "Metabolic Fingerprinting" and cervical carcinogenesis
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Members of the Herbst-Kralovetz lab recently published a novel study in EBioMedicine utilizing metabolic fingerprinting to distinguish patients with HPV, pre-cancerous cervical conditions, and cancer. The study integrated microbiome data, immunoproteomics, and metabolomics to effectively discriminate between health and disease.
Read the full length paper, "Deciphering the complex interplay between microbiota, HPV, inflammation and cancer through cervicovaginal metabolic profiling" here: https://tinyurl.com/y6e5s7uf Read the UA COM-P press release here: https://tinyurl.com/yyx6yfyh |
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Book chapter on using 3-D model to study Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection published
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Drs. Laniewski and Herbst-Kralovetz recently co-authored a chapter for Neisseria gonorrhoeae Methods and Protocols titled "Analysis of Host Responses to Neisseria gonorrhoeae Using a Human Three-Dimensional Endometrial Epithelial Cell Mode." A pseudocolored electron micrograph taken in the Herbst-Kralovetz lab was also selected as the cover photo for the book. Link for the book: https://www.springer.com/us/book/9781493994953 |
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Herbst-Kralovetz lab members present at the 2019 ABRC Research Conference
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Members of the Herbst-Kralovetz lab attended the 4th Annual ABRC Research Conference on May 2nd, 2019. The conference highlighted research projects supported by the Arizona Biomedical Research Centre, Flinn Foundation, and Valley Research Partnership. Graduate Student Jameson Gardner was invited to give a talk at the meeting, and Drs. Pawel Laniewski and Esra Ilhan presented posters at the meeting.
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Herbst-Kralovetz lab members present at 2019 AZ/Southern Nevada ASM Branch Meeting
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The Herbst-Kralovetz lab presented at the 2019 AZ/Southern Nevada ASM Branch Meeting held at NAU in Flagstaff, AZ on April 13, 2019. Kim Owen (undergraduate), Jameson Gardner (graduate student), and Drs. Esra Ilhan and Pawel Laniewski were invited to give talks, and Tess Alexander (undergraduate) presented a poster at the meeting. This meeting brought researchers and students together from across Arizona and the Las Vegas area to present research on environmental microbiology, medical microbiology, and infection and immunity. |
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Undergraduate researcher presents at the 2019 Barrett Honors Symposia
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Tess Alexander, an undergraduate researcher in the Herbst-Kralovetz lab presented at the 2019 Celebrating Honors Symposium on Wednesday April 10th at Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University. Tess is a senior at ASU and graduating this year with a degree in Biomedical Sciences. |
Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz invited as a plenary speaker at 3D Tissue Infection Symposium
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz was invited to speak at the 3D Tissue Infection Symposium in Würzburg, Germany as a plenary speaker on April 5-7. The meeting focused on the utilization of 3D tissue models for investigating host-pathogen interactions, and Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz presented on the 3D female reproductive tract models developed in the Herbst-Kralovetz lab. Read more about the symposium here: www.uni-wuerzburg.de/grk2157/3d-tissue-infection-symposium/ |
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Herbst-Kralovetz lab attends Frontiers in Immunobiology & Immunopathogenesis Symposium
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The 14th Annual Frontiers in Immunobiology & Immunopathogenesis Symposium was held in Tucson, AZ on March 8th. Dr. Esra Ilhan gave a talk on her work on the cervicovaginal metabolome and lab members Jameson Gardner, Tess Alexander, and Kim Owen presented posters during the poster session.
The Frontiers in Immunobiology & Immunopathogenesis Symposium is an annual research conference sponsored by the University of Arizona Immunobiology department and includes sessions on bacteriology, immunology, and virology. |
NIH Publishes Strategic Plan for Women's Health Research
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The National Institutes of Health recently published the strategic plan entitled "Advancing Science for the Health of Women." The plan runs from 2019-2023 and focuses on five main goals:
1) Advance rigorous research that is relevant 2) Develop methods and leverage data sources 3) Enhance dissemination and implementation 4) Promote training and careers 5) Improve evaluation See the full plan here: Trans-NIH Strategic Plan |
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz named a Bizwoman Headliner
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Melissa M. Herbst-Kralovetz, PhD, director of the Women’s Health Microbiome Initiative, was named a Bizwoman Headliner by American City Business Journals.
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2018
Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz speaking at Keystone Symposia in South Africa
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz will be attending and participating at the Keystone Symposia "Role of Genital Microbiome in Sexual and Reproductive Health" in Cape Town, South Africa. She will speak in the Genital Tract Mucosal Defenses and Biofilms session on our cutting edge research entitled "Human in vitro Systems to Study Genital Tract Mucosal Defenses" on December 13.
Learn more about the symposia here: https://tinyurl.com/yao9qyps |
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Undergraduate researcher receives awards from Barrett, the Honors College at ASU
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Tess Alexander, a senior at Arizona State University, was recently awarded two grants from the Honors Thesis Reimbursement Fund and the Honors Project Fund from Barrett, the Honors College at ASU for her thesis research project on IL-36gamma and HSV-2. |
Cosmopolitan Magazine highlights Herbst-Kralovetz lab findings
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The December 2018 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine highlighted our recent findings from Scientific Reports in their article entitled "What Throws Your Vag Out of Whack".
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Drs. Laniewski and Ilhan presenting at UA Research Symposium
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Drs. Pawel Laniewski and Esra Ilhan will be presenting posters on recent vaginal microbiome and metabolomics work at the UA COM-Phoenix Research Symposium "Biomarkers: From Specimen to Clinical Impact". |
Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz attends the Mid-Career Women Faculty Leadership Seminar
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz was selected by the American Association of Medical Colleges to attend the AAMC Mid-Career Women Faculty Leadership Seminar and was supported to attend the meeting by the UA COM-Phoenix WIMS under the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Learn more about the UA COM-Phoenix WIMS here: http://phoenixmed.arizona.edu/diversity/women-medicine-science |
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz talks about cervical cancer at the UA Cancer Center Tucson
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz was invited to the UA Cancer Center in Tucson to give a Cancer Prevention and Control seminar entitled "Deciphering Mechanisms of Cervical Carcinogenesis using a Multi-Omics Approach" on November 14, 2018.
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz speaks at UA COM Tucson CME event
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz was invited by the University of Arizona College of Medicine Tucson to participate and speak at their Continuing Medical Education event to kickoff Homecoming Week on October 26th. Her talk was titled "Translating Microbiome Research to Improve Women's Health" |
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Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz gives Mini-Med School lecture
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On November 7th, Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz gave a lecture for the 2018 Mini-Medical School titled, "'Good' Bacteria and Cervical Health and 'Bad' Bacteria and Increased Cancer Risk."
The Mini-Medical School is a free to the public community lecture series covering exciting topics. Learn more about the Mini-Medical School series here: http://phoenixmed.arizona.edu/minimed |
Presentation at the 2018 IGCS MeetingDr. Herbst-Kralovetz presented our collaborative work entitled "Does Vaginal Microbiome Composition Alter Local Cancer Biomarker Expression in Cervical Dysplasia and Cancer?" at the 2018 International Gynecologic Cancer Society meeting in Kyoto, Japan.
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Herbst-Kralovetz lab review articles among the most downloaded and most read on Maturitas
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The journal Maturitas recently posted a list of the most downloaded articles in the last 90 days. On that list was "Microbiota-drug interactions: Impact on metabolism and efficacy of therapeutics" an article published in June 2018 by Ellen Wilkinson, Dr. Esra Ilhan, and Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz.
Another review article, "Estrogen-gut microbiome axis: Physiological and clinical implications" published in September 2017 by James Baker, Dr. Layla Al-Nakkash, and Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz is #2 on the most read papers for Maturitas. See the list of most downloaded articles here: https://tinyurl.com/yazxtnrg |
Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz featured in Women in Medicine and the Mini Medical School lecture series
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The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix is featuring Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz along with Drs. Amelia Gallitano, and Rebecca Fisher this September to promote Women in Medicine and Science and for the Fall 2018 Mini Medical School. The Mini Medical School is an interactive community lecture series with events on September 5th, November 7th, and December 5th. Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz will lead the lecture on November 7th titled, ""Good" Bacteria and Cervical Health and "Bad" Bacterial and Increased Cancer Risk."
Read more about Women in Medicine here: https://tinyurl.com/y9xmamsg |
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New paper published in Cytokine on IL-36gamma and HSV-2
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Graduate student Jameson Gardner and Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz recently published a study in the journal Cytokine titled "IL-36gamma induces a transient HSV-2 resistant environment that protects against genital disease and pathogenesis."
Read the paper here: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1XZ5K3jGS17dDU |
Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz receives "40 Under 40" award
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The Phoenix Business Journal recognized Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz as a recipient of the "40 Under 40" class for 2018. The "40 Under 40" award honors business and community leaders in the Phoenix area. The awards dinner was held on Aug. 2nd and The Phoenix Business Journal profiled all of the awardees in their publication on Aug. 3rd and online here: https://tinyurl.com/yb3whlcb |
Chapter published in Encyclopedia of Reproduction
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Drs. Pawel Laniewski and Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz recently published a chapter entitled "Vagina" in the 2nd edition of the Encyclopedia of Reproduction.
Find the Encyclopedia of Reproduction here: https://tinyurl.com/y7j68num |
2018 BMS High School Summer Internship
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The 2018 BMS Summer High School Internship program started in June. Cynthia Ianova, a high school senior worked in the Herbst-Kralovetz lab during the 6-week program. Learn more about the BMS High School Internship program and Cynthia's experience here: http://phoenixmed.arizona.edu/about/news/college-hosts-summer-research-internship The summer internship program was also recently featured in the Arizona Republic. |
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Ellen Wilkinson awarded IDSOG Trainee Travel Scholar Award
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University of Bath placement student Ellen Wilkinson has been awarded the IDSOG Trainee Travel Scholar Award to attend and give an invited talk at the Infectious Diseases Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology (IDSOG) 2018 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA this August. |
Help eliminate HPV-related cancers
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The University of Arizona Cancer Center has partnered with National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers around the country to increase HPV vaccination and eliminate HPR-related cancers. Across the nation, only 43% of 13- to 17-year-olds are up-to-date on their HPV vaccinations. Help us raise that number to 80% by 2020!
Read the story here: https://tinyurl.com/ycl9hbsh Additional coverage of this story AZBio Pharmacy Choice |
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Do Bad Bugs Drive Cervical Cancer?
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The University of Arizona Cancer Center published a story highlighting the recent publication from the Herbst-Kralovetz lab in Scientific Reports linking the microbiome and cervical cancer.
Read the story from the UA Cancer Center here: https://tinyurl.com/y9w2rroq Additional coverage of the study KJZZ/NPR AZBio Medical News Today June 24th Biomedical Picture of the Day |
Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz named to the 40 Under 40
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The Phoenix Business Journal named Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz to the 40 Under 40 for 2018. The award highlights those in local businesses under the age of 40 who are making a difference in their companies/organizations, as well as the greater community.
Read the full story from the Phoenix Business Journal: https://tinyurl.com/yb3whlcb See the announcement from the College of Medicine Phoenix: https://tinyurl.com/y9nqeh46 |
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New paper published in Scientific Reports
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The Herbst-Kralovetz lab recently published a new study in Scientific Reports linking cervicovaginal immune signatures, HPV and microbiota composition in cervical carcinogenesis.
Read the paper here: https://rdcu.be/OjVe |
University of Arizona designated a Hispanic Serving Institution
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The University was recently designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education.
Learn more about this historic designation here: https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/ua-recognized-service-hispanic-students |
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April is National Minority Health Month
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April is National Minority Health Month! Learn more about the National Cancer Institute's mission to reduce cancer health disparities here: www.cancer.gov/about-nci/organization/crchd/blog/2018/nmhm18
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Review article on the list of most downloaded articles from Maturitas
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The journal Maturitas recently posted a list of the most downloaded articles in the last 90 days. On that list was "Estrogen-gut microbiome axis: Physiological and clinical implications" an article published in September 2017 by James Baker, Dr. Layla Al-Nakkash, and Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz.
See the list of most downloaded articles here: https://tinyurl.com/yc8g7sbh and read the paper here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378512217306503 |
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New article on Microbiota-Drug Interactions
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Maturitas recently published a new review article written by Ellen Wilkinson, Dr. Esra Ilhan, and Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz discussing microbiota-drug interactions.
Read the article here: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1Wt5q1M44~KAEa |
Drs. Herbst-Kralovetz and Laniewski awarded grant from ARDF
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Drs. Herbst-Kralovetz and Laniewski have been awarded an AiR Challenge Grant from the Alternatives Research and Development Foundation to study vaginal bacteria as oncogenic drivers using innovative 3-D human models.
More information on the AiR challenge can be found here: http://www.ardf-online.org/air-challenge.html |
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New publication on the uterine microbiome
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Frontiers in Immunology recently published a new review article from the Herbst-Kralovetz lab titled "Uterine Microbiota: Residents, Tourists, or Invaders? This article reviews the history and current status regarding the uterine microbiome and potential implications in health and disease. Read the paper here: https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2018.00208
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2017
Graduate student awarded Harry Lowell Swift Advancing Health Scholarship
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Jameson Gardner, a third-year graduate student in the Herbst-Kralovetz lab was recently awarded the Harry Lowell Swift Advancing Health Scholarship through the School of Life Sciences at ASU for his research into the role of IL-36gamma in genital herpes. The Swift Scholarship is awarded annually to outstanding graduate students pursuing ground-breaking research in biomedical and biotechnological fields to advance human health. |
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Exploring the link between Cancer and Vaginal Bacteria
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The Healthy Dose blog from the University of Arizona Health Sciences recently published a Q&A with Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz discussing work to determine the link between the Vaginal Microbiome and Cancer. Read the article here: https://tinyurl.com/ybev8kc7 |
September is Gynecologic Cancer Awareness MonthSeptember is Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, and the University of Arizona Cancer Center has highlighted our vaginal microbiome and endometrial cancer work - read more here: http://tinyurl.com/y852khp2 |
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Herbst-Kralovetz laboratory receives grant from The Mary Kay FoundationThe Mary Kay Foundation recently awarded the Herbst-Kralovetz lab a grant to study the genital microbiome and local immune microenvironment in endometrial cancer patients.
Read more about this story here: http://tinyurl.com/y95o5mdy Read about the Mary Kay Foundation and Cancer Grant recipients here: http://tinyurl.com/ybhhdww5 |
Herbst-Kralovetz lab awarded research grant from the University of Arizona Office of Diversity and InclusionThe University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix Office of Diversity and Inclusion awarded the Herbst-Kralovetz lab a Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Excellence and Innovation Research Grant to investigate the vaginal microbiota and immune signatures in Arizona Latinas.
Learn about the Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Excellence and Innovation Research Grant here: http://tinyurl.com/y88tab3q |
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New publication on interactions between the gut microbiome and sex hormonesThe Herbst-Kralovetz laboratory published a review article this June highlighting the interactions between the gut microbiome and sex hormones in the journal Maturitas in collaboration with Dr. Layla Al-Nakkash from Midwestern University. This article was selected as the Editor's Choice for September.
Read the article here: http://tinyurl.com/y8euczlo |
2017 BMS High School InternshipThe 2017 BMS Summer High School Internship program started on Monday, June 5th. Anamika Basu, a high school senior worked in the Herbst-Kralovetz lab during the 6-week program.
Learn more about the BMS High School Internship program and Anamika's experience here: http://tinyurl.com/yd8fjyof |
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New publication on 3-D endometrial epithelial cell modelThis February the Herbst-Kralovetz lab published a paper characterizing a new 3-D endometrial epithelial cell model in collaboration with Dr. Maggie So from the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Read the article here: http://tinyurl.com/y7kvum9 |
2016
SEM micrograph taken by undergraduate student makes cover image of JIDA special supplemental issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases on Bacterial Vaginosis was recently published and a pseudo-colored SEM micrograph showing bacterial colonization on a 3-D aggregate taken by Adriana Gomez and Pawel Laniewski was selected as the cover image for the issue.
Read more about Dr. Herbst-Kralovetz's article on BV, and Pawel and Adriana's cover image here: http://tinyurl.com/j6aeyst |
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New publications from the Herbst-Kralovetz LaboratoryThe Herbst-Kralovetz lab recently published papers in Maturitas and Frontiers in Microbiology. Read the articles below.
Menopause and the Vaginal Microbiome IL-36gamma Augments Host Defense and Immune Responses in Human Female Reproductive Tract Epithelial Cells |
2016 BMS High School InternshipThe 2016 BMS High School Internship program started on Monday, June 6th. Jasmin Menjivar, a high school senior, joined the Herbst-Kralovetz laboratory for the six-week program.
Learn more about the BMS High School Internship program here: http://tinyurl.com/hsrpj69 |
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55th Annual AZ/Southern Nevada ASM MeetingPawel Laniewski and Jameson Gardner were both invited to present submitted abstracts as oral presentations at the conference in the Medical Bacteriology and Virology/Immunology sessions.
Jameson was awarded Best Oral Presentation for the Virology/Immunology Session. See the announcement here - http://tinyurl.com/j4fkb5j |
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