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Karen A. Norris, PhD



Dr. Karen Norris

Contact

412-648-8848
Fax: 412-383-8098
W1144 Biomedical Science Tower
200 Lothrop Street

Education

PhD, Wright State University

BS, Bowling Green University


Academic Affiliation(s)

Professor, Department of Immunology

Research

Dr. Norris is a Professor in the Department of Immunology and conducts research in immunology and infectious diseases with emphasis on vaccine development,  co-morbidities and opportunistic infections associated with HIV infection, chronic immune activation and aging.  She has developed a team of investigators and collaborators who provide expertise in all aspects of these studies including veterinary, pulmonary, cardiology, pathology, immunology, radiology, virology and immunology. This team has been successful in establishing the first primate model of Pneumocystispneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pulmonary arterial hypertension.  Current studies are underway to test the efficacy of Pneumocystis vaccine in pre-clinical models and develop therapeutic interventions to treat inflammation-mediated diseases including diabetes, pulmonary hypertension and COPD.  

Lab Personnel

Heather Kling, PhD; Post Doctoral Fellow

Finja Schweitzer, PhD, Post Doctoral Fellow

Rebecca Tarantelli, Research Specialist IV

Allie McManus, Research Specialist IV

Nick Giacobbi, Research Specialist III

ToniAnn Zullo, Research Specialist IV

Michael Bennett Johnston, Research Specialist III

Areas of Interest

Immunology and Infectious Diseases

Publications

Amsellem V, Lipskaia L, Abid S, Poupel L, Houssaini A, Quarck R, Marcos E, Mouraret N, Parpaleix A, Bobe R, Gary-Bobo G, Saker M, Dubois-Randé JL, Gladwin MT, Norris KA, Delcroix M, Combadière C, Adnot S. 2014. CCR5 as a Treatment Target for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. Circulation. [Epub ahead of print] |  View Abstract

Fitzpatrick ME, Tedrow JR, Hillenbrand ME, Lucht L, Richards T, Norris KA, Zhang Y, Sciurba FC, Kaminski N, Morris A. Microbiol Immunol. 2014. Pneumocystis jirovecii colonization is associated with enhanced Th1 inflammatory gene expression in lungs of humans with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Microbiol Immunol. 58(3): 202-11. |  View Abstract

Morris A, Norris KA. 2014. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole treatment does not reverse obstructive pulmonary changes in pneumocystis-colonized nonhuman primates with SHIV infection. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 65(4): 381-389.Kling HM, Shipley TW, Guyach S, Tarantelli R, |  View Abstract

George MP, Champion HC, Simon M, Guyach S, Tarantelli R, Kling HM, Brower A, Janssen C, Murphy J, Carney JP, Morris A, Gladwin MT, Norris KA. 2013. Physiologic changes in a nonhuman primate model of HIV-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 48(3): 374-381. |  View Abstract

Bryan M, Guyach S, Norris KA. 2013. Biolistic DNA vaccination against Trypanosoma infection. Methods Mol Biol. 940: 305-315. |  View Abstract

Morris A, Norris KA. 2012. Colonization by Pneumocystis jirovecii and its role in disease. Clin Microbiol Rev. 25(2): 297-317. |  View Abstract

Morris A, Gingo M. R, George M. P, Lucht L, Kessinger C, Singh V, Hillenbrand M, Busch M, McMahon D, Norris K. A, Champion H. C, Gladwin M. T, Zhang Y, Steele C, and Sciurba F. C. 2012. Cardiopulmonary function in individuals with HIV infection in the antiretroviral therapy era. AIDS. 26: 731-740. |  View Abstract