Brittany Ulloa
Brittany Ulloa, Graduate Student, UW Department of Immunology
Year Joined: 2017
Email: bulloa@uw.edu
UW Box: 358059
Current Lab: Gale Lab
Affinity Groups: UW SACNAS Chapter, UW Dept. of Immunology DEI Committee, UW GO-MAP Student Advisory Board
Social Media: Twitter: @Soleilvlu
Why I chose UW Immunology
I wanted a strong immunology program with lots of options to gain in depth experience and knowledge in many areas of immunology, and I knew that this program would provide that. I also wanted a program that would challenge and push me, while supporting me and allowing me to grow into a strong scientist. Beyond that, I also greatly value the respect that this department has for each member and how it tries to find ways to improve how it serves all members. I found that UW Immunology aims to support the “whole-self” of each individual and that is something that I think is rare in many science programs. The broader community of UW is also very supportive of all students.
Activities and Interests
I love the wonderful balance of city-life and nature-escapes that Seattle offers. There are many things to do in the city in terms of a great music, art, and food scene. There are also many beautiful parks that make the urban areas feel very connected to nature. Not to mention, we are also surrounded by tons of water and it is stunning! Plus, you can take a short drive in any direction and be in the mountains or at a beach. I’m usually sight-seeing, hiking, going for a walk, visiting a farmers market, or swimming in a lake.
Advice from me
I would advise anyone interested to contact the department and ask to speak to current students and post-docs. Everyone is friendly and would love to help and offer perspectives/advice.
More about me
Our lab studies innate immune responses by RIG-I-like Receptors (RLRs). My project focuses on defining the cell death pathway mediated by activation of the RNA helicase RIG-I. Our lab has identified a viral pathogen associated molecular pattern (PAMP) RNA motif from hepatitis C virus (HCV) that when delivered to cells in a liposomal formulation engages RIG-I to induce innate immune signaling. We found that PAMP RNA can direct RIG-I dependent signaling to drive cell death in tumor cells, indicating that targeting the RIG-I pathway with PAMP has applications for oncolytic destruction of tumors.
