Ivory Paulk, '16

Student

Ivory Paulk, '16

Files

Cohort

2016

Biography

Ivory Paulk was born and raised in the city of Riviera Beach, Florida where she graduated from Palm Beach Gardens High School. She is a Senator for the College of Medicine where she serves her college by helping scholars participating in research as well as graduates and undergraduates receiving funding to present their research at academic conferences. She also serves on the Student Government Association Scholarship committee where she is currently helping to create scholarships to support undergraduate researchers. She is passionate about building minority participation in scientific research and higher education. She wishes to get her undergraduate degree in Biotechnology and her Ph.D in Cancer Biology. She is interested in exploring the neurology of malignant brain tumors. Ultimately she aspires to become a tenured professor, while leading her research into a viable medical product.

Undergraduate Major

Biotechnology

Future Plans

Ph.D. in Cancer Biology

Research

Use of a CD200R agonist as a Method for Targeting the CD200/CD200R Blockade for Central Nervous system Cancer Immunotherapy Ivory Paulk, Anthony Hyatt, Zhengming Xiong, Michael Olin Abstract: Cancer immunotherapy has demonstrated promising results. However, to date, researchers have failed to overcome the complex interplay between the tumor and its surrounding microenvironment. The progression to a productive immune response involves passing a number of immunological checkpoints. Immunological checkpoints, such as cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) and programed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), which are barriers to the targeting of immunotherapies’ due to the use of malignant self-cells, those that express similar surface antigens as the cells in which they have arisen. To overcome this limitation, the FDA approved two checkpoint inhibitors, ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4) and pembrolizumab (anti-PD-L1)1. In our glioma model, we discovered an excess of soluble CD200 protein, which acts as an immunological checkpoint. CD200 is highly expressed in a variety of human central nervous system tumors2. We reported a significantly increased in concentration of CD200 in the sera of glioma patients as their tumors progressed and went off our clinical trial (Fig 1a)2. Moreover, we reported a direct correlation of serum CD200 concentration and increased lineage negative myeloid derived suppressor cell (MDSC) population in our patients.

Graduate School

University of California Los Angeles

Disciplines

Cancer Biology

Ivory Paulk, '16


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