M.S., Biology, 2009, Western Carolina University
Research: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease in the central nervous system. Although the precise etiology of MS is unknown, autoimmune responses as well as viral infection have been associated with the pathogenesis. I am investigating the roles of immune cells, including effector and regulatory cells, in demyelination and axonal degeneration using autoimmune and viral models for MS: experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus infection.