LSU Health Shreveport - Department of Microbiology and Immunology

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260105165806.htm

The secret to human intelligence? It might be in our gut New research shows gut bacteria can directly influence how the brain develops and functions. When scientists transferred microbes from different primates into mice, the animals’ brains began to resemble those of the original host species. Microbes from large-brained primates boosted brain energy a...

Louisiana Strategic Research Laboratory

Louisiana Strategic Research Laboratory The Center for Emerging Viral Threats, created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, has pivoted to fight diseases that effect our community on a daily basis...

Congratulations to Nick First (Gestal Lab) for successfully defending his dissertation last week!

Nick starts his postdoctoral fellowship TODAY at UT Health San Antonio in Dr. Laurence Morel's lab, where he will be studying how oral and gut microbiome dysbiosis drives B cell dysregulation in lupus.

We are very proud of you, Dr. First!

LSU Health Shreveport School of Graduate Studies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9oNfdDOLCU

Summer Research in 2025 LSU Health Shreveport hosts summer research programs for undergraduate and medical students each year. For more on each program, follow the links below.Audio...

Congratulations Dr. Comer! Well deserved👏

The Department of Microbiology and Immunology is delighted to announce a new Endowed Professorship in honor of former Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dr. Richard J. Courtney. The Dr. Richard J. Courtney Endowed Professorship in Virology is a very generous donation by former chairman of the Department of Microbiology & Immunology and Boyd Professor, Dr. Dennis J O’Callaghan. Dr. O’Callaghan highlighted Dr. Courtney’s many important contributions to LSU Health and Penn State as well as their friendship. The Professorship was set up through the LSU Foundation by President and CEO Kevin Flood.
The Department is excited to announce that the inaugural recipient is Dr. Jason E. Comer, Associate Professor and Director of the BSL-3 Research Facility. Dr. Comer joined LSU Health 18 months ago and has been instrumental in moving the BSL-3 lab, housed in the Center for Medical Education Building, closer to full operations. Dr. Comer also has recruited multiple new faculty working on high containment pathogens, and recently secured a $2.2 million grant. Congratulations, Dr. Comer!

Students in Spain study research at LSUHS through Fundación Barrié Undergraduate Fellowship Med students from Spain have the chance to study with researchers at LSU Health Shreveport thanks to the Fundación Barrié Undergraduate Fellowship.

This week, senior student Timothy Amusan in Dr. Hongyan Guo’s lab opened our Fall Seminar Series by presenting an update on his research.

Timothy was also selected as this month's Student of the Month! Congratulations!

LSU Health Shreveport
LSU Health Shreveport School of Graduate Studies

🎉Congratulations to our August Graduate Student of the Month, Timothy Amusan!
Timothy is a PhD student in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, conducting his research in Dr. Hongyan Guo’s Lab. Timothy comes from Gbongan, Nigeria; and earned his bachelor’s degree in microbiology at the Obafemi Awolowo University in 2016.
Timothy’s dissertation is titled “Elucidating the mechanism and function of ZBP1 signaling during HSV-1 infection.”
His research focuses on understanding the function and fate of ZBP1, an important player in necroptosis, during HSV-1 (Herpes Simplex Virus 1) infection and how this can improve the clinical outcomes of the disease.
Timothy shared that he chose our graduate school because he wanted to work in a collaborative institution, with excellent research, and that felt like a family; and he found that here, at LSU Health Shreveport.
👏🏽Please join us in celebrating Timothy

The PHIIRE summer undergraduate research program ended last week with a Poster Session on July 31. We are very proud of what these fledgling young scientists have accomplished in just 8 weeks! We look forward to hearing from them as they continue their careers in science and public health. Congratulations!