Anderson will use the funding provided by MPCA to accelerate her research towards clinical applications. The Anderson Lab specializes in engineering immune cells to target proteins abundant on the surface of cancer cells, but scarce in the rest of the body. This treatment, combined with existing anticancer drugs, slows tumor growth and is positioned to move rapidly from the academic lab to patient care.

Atherosclerosis, the accumulation of cholesterol, fats, and other substances in arterial walls, is a widespread cardiovascular disease—approximately 3 million new cases are diagnosed annually in the United States. Epidemiological studies have indicated that patients with a deficiency in glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDdef) associate with increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Mazzei’s research aims to identify the links between G6PDdef and atherosclerosis, identifying potential immune driven mechanisms that link the two.

G6PD normally protects cells from being damaged by reactive oxygen species. Mazzei’s work traces the effects of G6PD deficiency to the production of immunoglobulin M, an antibody shown to protect against coronary artery disease and to target molecules damaged by oxidation. She shows that G6PDdef leads to decreased levels of immunoglobulin M and more severe atherosclerosis. Her future research will further explore the relationships between G6PDdef, the production of immunoglobulin M and their role in atherosclerosis.