Professor
Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases 
Phone: 502-852-1396
Email: silvia.uriarte@louisville.edu

Research Interests:

Neutrophil interactions with oral pathogens

My research interest has always been in the area of microbiology and immunology. In 2005, I was introduced to the fascinating world of neutrophil biology working in the laboratory of Dr. Kenneth McLeish, at the University of Louisville. In 2011, I was able to start my independent line of research, and currently in my laboratory we are interested in studying the interaction between neutrophils and pathogens. In particular, pathogens that causes periodontitis, a biofilm-induced chronic inflammatory disease that affects the gingival tissues supporting the tooth. Chronic inflammatory infectious diseases such as periodontitis can occur because the pathogens are able to evade or disable the innate immune system. Our research interest is focused on identifying the mechanisms that allow two oral pathogenic bacteria, one Gram positive and one Gram negative, to evade neutrophil killing and promote inflammation.