Matthew Koci
Professor — Immunology, Virology and Host-Pathogen Interactions
Faculty/EHRA
Scott Hall 363
Area(s) of Expertise
Dr. Koci’s laboratory works to understand the immune mechanisms which allow an animal to recognize, respond, eliminate and develop resistance to pathogens. The lab’s approach involves understanding both cellular and molecular aspects of the host response. Currently there are three primary research projects in the laboratory: 1) understanding the key innate immune responses involved in pathogenesis and disease resolution of astrovirus induced gastroenteritis, a major cause of diarrhea in turkey poults and humans, 2) understanding how genetic polymorphisms in innate immune response genes affect resistance and susceptibility to infection, and 3) understanding how changes in the intestinal microflora affects gut physiology, mucosal immunity and, ultimately, the overall health of the animal.
Publications
- COVID-19: The Beginning of The Beginning (2022)
- LL-37 transports immunoreactive cGAMP to activate STING signaling and enhance interferon-mediated host antiviral immunity, CELL REPORTS (2022)
- Viruses: The Most Abundant Thing You’ve Never Seen (2022)
- C-Terminal Amination of a Cationic Anti-Inflammatory Peptide Improves Bioavailability and Inhibitory Activity Against LPS-Induced Inflammation, FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY (2021)
- A Novel Cecropin-LL37 Hybrid Peptide Protects Mice Against EHEC Infection-Mediated Changes in Gut Microbiota, Intestinal Inflammation, and Impairment of Mucosal Barrier Functions, FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY (2020)
- Attenuated Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium, Strain NC983, Is Immunogenic, and Protective against Virulent Typhimurium Challenges in Mice, VACCINES (2020)
- Complete Genome Sequences of Lactobacillus Strains C25 and P38, Isolated from Chicken Cecum, Microbiology Resource Announcements (2020)
- Connecting the microbiome to host metabolites: understanding how the microbiome controls immune activity in birds, FASEB JOURNAL (2020)
- Development of a Highly Efficient Hybrid Peptide That Increases Immunomodulatory Activity Via the TLR4-Mediated Nuclear Factor-κB Signaling Pathway, International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2019)
- A Comparison of Current Sequencing Platforms for Compositional Analysis of the Gut, BMC Microbiol (2017)
Education
B.S., Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA (1997)
M.S., Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA (1999)
Ph.D., Pathology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA (2003)