Sasha Larsen Akins

Sasha Larsen

Research Scientist II

Seattle Childrens Research Institute, USA

Email: Sasha.Akins@SeattleChildrens.org

 

 

 

 

VALIDATE Role:

Network Associate

 

Research Keywords: 

Tuberculosis, animal models, clinical trials, non-tuberculous mycobacteria, vaccine development, immunology, host-pathogen interactions 

 

Biography:

At the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), I received a Ph.D. in Emerging Infectious Diseases, incorporating neglected tropical diseases of global importance. I chose to complement this classical training in pathogens and diseases with a project research focus in human immunology, including primary immunodeficiencies, cell signaling and cellular metabolism. In my current role as Research Scientist II in the Coler Lab at Seattle Children’s Research Institute (SCRI) I help drive the development and preclinical efficacy testing of vaccine candidates against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). We develop novel and translational preclinical models of mycobacterial disease, examine pathology as a critical efficacy readout, assess innate and adaptive immune responses to vaccination, and strive to elucidate immune correlates of protection. 

 

Related Websites: 

LinkedIn

 

Key Publications:

Larsen SE, Baldwin SL, Orr MT, Reese VA, Pecor T, Granger B, Dubois Cauwelaert N, Podell BK, Coler RN. 2018. Enhanced anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis immunity over time with combined drug and immunotherapy treatment. Vaccines against persistent and chronic bacterial pathogens, 6(2):e30.  

Baldwin SL, Larsen SE, Ordway D, Cassell G, Coler RN. 2019. The complexities and challenges of preventing and treating nontuberculous mycobacteria. PLOS Negl Trop Dis, 13(2):e0007083. 

Carrigy NB*, Larsen SE*, Harrison M, Kuehl P, Hatfull G, Sauvageau D, Finlay WH, Coler RN, Vehring R. 2019. Exploring Inhalation of Nebulized Bacteriophage D29 to Provide Prophylactic Protection against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Aerosol in a Preclinical Mouse Model. Journal of Aerosol Medicine and Pulmonary Drug Delivery, 32(3), A15. *Co-first author. 

Snow AL, Larsen SE#. 2017. Different death destinies: relative apoptosis sensitivity shapes the human effector CD8+ T cell response derived from distinct memory subsets. News & Commentary: Cell Death and Disease, 8(8):e3030. #Corresponding author. 

Larsen SE, Bilenkin A, Tarasenko TN, Arjunaraja S, Stinson JR, McGuire PJ, and Snow AL. 2016. Sensitivity to restimulation-induced cell death is linked to glycolytic metabolism in human T cells. J Immunology, 198(1):147-155.