Nathan Peters
Associate Professor, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary
Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine;
Faculty Member
PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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Biography
Dr. Peters completed his Ph.D. in the laboratory of Dr. Peter Bretscher at the University of Saskatchewan where he was the recipient of a Canadian Governor General’s Gold Medal for his graduate work. Dr. Peters continued his studies as a post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of David Sacks and then as a staff scientist in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the NIH, Bethesda, MD. During this time Dr. Peters began studying the role of inflammatory cells during infection with the parasite Leishmania and explored the concept of ‘immune memory’ during chronic parasitic infection. In September 2014 Dr. Peters was cross-appointed to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary and became a member of the Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases. Dr. Peters is the Chair of the Immunology Research Group and the Global Health Initiative of the Dept. of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases.
The Peters lab is focused on the immuno-biology of chronic infectious diseases, with a special emphasis on vector transmitted and neglected tropical diseases. The lab employs cutting edge multicolor flow cytometry and two-photon microscopy to unravel the intricacies of host-pathogen interactions in the skin and internal organs employing the Leishmania model of parasitic disease. Our research investigates the earliest events in the host response, including inflammatory cell interactions with vector inoculated parasites, and the regulation and expression of immunity to reinfection, including an exploration of the concept of immune memory during chronic infections. Current projects involve studying 1) immune correlates of protective CD4 T cell mediate immune responses; 2) neutrophil responses to infection in the skin; and 3) the ontogeny and function of inflammatory monocytes. The lab employs experimental rodent models of the different forms of leishmaniasis seen in humans and dogs and maintains colonies of vector sand flies to study Leishmaniasis following transmission of Leishmania via sand fly bite. We aim to better understand how inflammation alters the regulation and expression of immunity, including vaccine-mediated immunity. The goal of the lab is to develop new therapies and vaccines to combat chronic infectious diseases.