Dimitri Kotov, PhD

Dr. Kotov earned his Ph.D. in the lab of Dr. Marc Jenkins at the University of Minnesota, where he studied how T cell receptor signaling impacts CD4⁺ T cell fate commitment. Pivoting from researching fundamental aspects of the immune system to applied immunology, his postdoctoral research was carried out in the lab of Dr. Russell Vance and focused on the innate immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection. Tuberculosis disease causes 1.25 million deaths each year and is therefore the leading cause of death from a single pathogen. However, 90% of people infected with Mtb can control or clear their infection. Dr. Kotov’s postdoctoral work uncovered a novel role for plasmacytoid dendritic cells in exacerbating Mtb infection through the induction of a type I interferon response as well as identifying an immunosuppressive role for myeloid cells during Mtb infection via their production of IL-1 receptor antagonist, a mechanism conserved across mouse, non-human primate, and humans. Research in the Kotov lab expands on the theme of innate immune exacerbation of tuberculosis disease by continuing to study the role of plasmacytoid dendritic cells during infection and identifying additional mechanisms by which neutrophils and macrophages inhibit product responses against Mtb. By understanding the immune dysregulation that drives tuberculosis disease progression the Kotov lab hopes to identify targets for host-targeted therapies.