Wagar Lab (University of California, Irvine)
The Wagar Lab at UC Irvine investigates the initiation, regulation, and resolution of human immune responses to infectious diseases and vaccines, with a focus on lymphoid and mucosal tissues. Their mission is to accelerate vaccine and immunotherapy design by understanding and manipulating the specialized immune microenvironments in human tissues. Using innovative immune organoid models, the lab aims to improve translational vaccine studies, enable novel mechanistic experiments, and explore genetic and environmental contributions to immune variation, particularly in the context of respiratory infections.
Industries
Nr. of Employees
small (1-50)
Wagar Lab (University of California, Irvine)
Products
Human immune organoid model (tonsil/mucosal)
A laboratory platform composed of primary human lymphoid and mucosal tissues reconstructed as organoids to model adaptive immune activation, antibody production, and cellular responses to vaccines and pathogens.
Human immune organoid model (tonsil/mucosal)
A laboratory platform composed of primary human lymphoid and mucosal tissues reconstructed as organoids to model adaptive immune activation, antibody production, and cellular responses to vaccines and pathogens.
Services
Provision of primary human lymphoid and mucosal tissue-derived organoid systems to investigate vaccine formats, adjuvant effects, and tissue-specific adaptive immunity in vitro for collaborators.
Bioinformatics and machine-learning services for integrated analysis of multi-omic and repertoire datasets, including predictive models for antigen presentation and immunogenicity.
Testing of immunotherapies and checkpoint blockade agents in primary human tumor organoids to assess immune responses and therapeutic effects in a controlled tissue-derived model.
Provision of primary human lymphoid and mucosal tissue-derived organoid systems to investigate vaccine formats, adjuvant effects, and tissue-specific adaptive immunity in vitro for collaborators.
Bioinformatics and machine-learning services for integrated analysis of multi-omic and repertoire datasets, including predictive models for antigen presentation and immunogenicity.
Testing of immunotherapies and checkpoint blockade agents in primary human tumor organoids to assess immune responses and therapeutic effects in a controlled tissue-derived model.
Expertise Areas
- Human immune organoids and tissue immunology
- Vaccine immunology and adjuvant evaluation
- Multi-omic single-cell analysis
- BCR/TCR repertoire analysis
Key Technologies
- Human tonsil and mucosal organoid culture
- Single-cell RNA sequencing
- Multi-omic single-cell integration
- Mass cytometry (CyTOF) with live-cell barcoding
News & Updates
Celebration of Mahina Mitul's successful PhD defense and her contributions to the lab.
Sam Kim and Mariam Mohagheghi officially joined the lab for their graduate studies in Spring.
Erika, Evien, and Haven completed their CALIT2 project and presented at the annual CALIT2 symposium.
Suhas and Patricia received the AAI Trainee Abstract Award for oral presentations at the AAI conference in Honolulu. Mahina also received an Abstract Award and presented posters.
Zach and Tim, with the team, identified novel correlates of neutralizing antibody responses to flu vaccine, validating predictors from organoids in vivo.
Erika, Evien, and Haven received CALIT2 x UROP funding for their team project, awarded to undergraduate interdisciplinary research teams led by a graduate student.
Celebration of Mahina Mitul's successful PhD defense and her contributions to the lab.
Sam Kim and Mariam Mohagheghi officially joined the lab for their graduate studies in Spring.
Erika, Evien, and Haven completed their CALIT2 project and presented at the annual CALIT2 symposium.
Suhas and Patricia received the AAI Trainee Abstract Award for oral presentations at the AAI conference in Honolulu. Mahina also received an Abstract Award and presented posters.
Zach and Tim, with the team, identified novel correlates of neutralizing antibody responses to flu vaccine, validating predictors from organoids in vivo.
Erika, Evien, and Haven received CALIT2 x UROP funding for their team project, awarded to undergraduate interdisciplinary research teams led by a graduate student.