We are an internationally diverse group of scientists who share a common passion: scientific discovery.  Here in the Immunology Center of Georgia, we blend our expertise and creativity to discover new ways to unlock the power of the immune system for healthier lives.
If you are interested in joining our team, please email us!
Catherine 'Lynn' Hedrick, PhD
Georgia Research Alliance Bradley Turner Eminent Scholar in Vascular and Cancer Immunology
Co-Director, Immunology Center of Georgia
Professor, Department of Medicine
Medical College of Georgia at »Æ¹Ï¶ÌÊÓƵ
Jump to: What We Study Research Team Current Research Interests Publications
We explore how the immune system links heart disease and cancer, with the goal of turning discoveries into better prevention and new treatments.
Our work centers on innate immune cells—monocytes, dendritic cells, neutrophils, and macrophages—which act as the body’s first responders and shape both health and disease. We combine high-dimensional profiling with computational and experimental approaches to study the immune system. A key focus is understanding how these innate immune cells differ among people of diverse ethnic backgrounds, and how such differences influence disease susceptibility.
Irina Baranovskaya
Layne Benson
Onyekachi Nwogu
Ruibo Cai
Natalie Mseis-Jackson
Kaylee Erneston
Gabriel Valentin-Guillama
Rachel Watson
Sabrina Robichaud
Akash Shah
Aleksandr Taraskin
Natalia Jaeger
Ravi Komaravolu
How do monocytes recognize tumor cells that are undergoing metastasis?
Select subsets of monocytes are critical in orchestrating the killing of tumor cells as they are traveling through the vasculature to new seeding sites. Here we seek to understand how these cells selectively identify the metastatic tumor cell. Methods include working with human tissue samples, mouse tumor models, immunoprofiling, high parameter flow cytometry, scRNA sequencing, and intravital live cell imaging.
How does innate immunity impact the intersection of cardiovascular disease and cancer?
Some cancer patients receiving therapy develop cardiovascular complications, the understanding of which is the field of cardio-oncology. Here, we study monocyte subsets and functions in cancer patients who develop cardiovascular complications. Methods include working with human blood samples, immunoprofiling, high parameter flow cytometry, functional assays, and complex computational approaches.
Are there ethnic differences present in monocyte subsets that change how they function in disease?
Here, we study how ethnicity impacts innate immune functions in health and disease. High dimensional immunoprofiling, epidemiology, bioinformatics, and functional assays are utilized to answer these questions.
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Zhang, T., Matsunaga, A., Lu, X., Fang, H., Chatterjee, N., Alimadadi, A., Mori, S. F., Fang, X., Wang, G., , Zhang, L., , Cheng, B., & , Oct 2025, In: Cells. 14, 19, 1533. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Mysona, D. P., Shah, A., Jaeger, N., Almadadi, A., Orr, B., , , , , , & , Oct 2025, In: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy. 74, 10, 318. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Ng, L. G., Ballesteros, I., Cassatella, M. A., Egeblad, M., Fridlender, Z. G., Gabrilovich, D., Gao, Q., Granot, Z., Grieshaber-Bouyer, R., Grimes, H. L., , Hidalgo, A., Kaplan, M. J., Kubes, P., Ling, G. S., Lu, L., Luo, H. R., Mayadas, T. N., Moutsopoulos, N. M. & Ng, M. & 10 others, , Aug 12 2025, In: Immunity. 58, 8, p. 1890-1903 14 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review |
, Araujo, D. J., & Alimadadi, A., Jul 1 2025, In: Journal of Leukocyte Biology. 117, 7, qiaf058. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Lowery, A., & , Jun 1 2025, In: Journal of Leukocyte Biology. 117, 6, qiaf074. Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review |
Saminathan, P., Mathews, I. T., Alimadadi, A., Fung, K., Kakugawa, K., Joosten, L. A. B., Netea, M. G., Jain, M., Cheng, S., & Sharma, S., May 16 2025, In: iScience. 28, 5, 112418. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Tsuboi, N., Rivera-Caraballo, K. A., Sahu, U., , Douglass, E., , , , , & , Mar 1 2025, In: Molecular cancer therapeutics. 24, 3, p. 444-452 9 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Akkari, L., Amit, I., Bronte, V., Fridlender, Z. G., Gabrilovich, D. I., Ginhoux, F., & Ostrand-Rosenberg, S., Dec 2024, In: Nature Reviews Immunology. 24, 12, p. 850-857 8 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Tan, M. C., Stabellini, N., Tan, J. Y., Thong, J. Y., , Moore, J. X., Cullen, J., Hines, A., Sutton, A., Sheppard, V., Agarwal, N. & , Oct 2024, In: Current Oncology Reports. 26, 10, p. 1205-1212 8 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review |
Suthahar, S. S. A., Nettersheim, F. S., Alimadadi, A., Wang, E., Billitti, M., Resto-Trujillo, N., Roy, P., , & , Sep 1 2024, In: Cardiovascular Research. 120, 13, p. 1577-1589 13 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
, Aug 30 2024, In: Circulation research. 135, 6, p. 701-703 3 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review |
Yu, J., Meneses-Salas, E., Johnson, J. L., Manenti, S., Kbaich, M. A., Chen, D., Askari, K., He, J., Shukla, A., Shaji, B., Gonzalez-Quintial, R., Croker, B. A., Zhang, J., Hoffman, H., Kiosses, W. B., , Pestonjamasp, K., Wineinger, N., Baccala, R. & Catz, S. D., Aug 27 2024, In: Cell Reports. 43, 8, 114598. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Makram, O. M., Okwuosa, T., Addison, D., , Dent, S., , Ganatra, S., Al-Kindi, S., , , & , Aug 6 2024, In: Journal of the American Heart Association. 13, 15, e035500. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Makram, O. M., Kunhiraman, H. H., , , Nasir, K., , Wang, X. & , Apr 2024, In: American Heart Journal Plus: Cardiology Research and Practice. 40, 100380. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Chatterjee, N., , Durant, C. P., Wu, R., McSkimming, C., Drago, F., Kumar, S., Valentin-Guillama, G., Miller, Y. I., McNamara, C. A., , Taylor, A., Alimadadi, A. & , Mar 2024, In: International journal of molecular sciences. 25, 5, 2894. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Kaczanowska, S., Murty, T., Alimadadi, A., Contreras, C. F., Duault, C., Subrahmanyam, P. B., Reynolds, W., Gutierrez, N. A., Baskar, R., Wu, C. J., Michor, F., Altreuter, J., Liu, Y., Jhaveri, A., Duong, V., Anbunathan, H., Ong, C., Zhang, H., Moravec, R. & Yu, J. & 24 others, , Jan 8 2024, In: Cancer Cell. 42, 1, p. 35-51.e8 Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Pattarabanjird, T., Nguyen, A. T., McSkimming, C., Dinh, H. Q., Marshall, M. A., Ghosheh, Y., Gulati, R., Durant, C., Vallejo, J., Saigusa, R., Drago, F., Guy, T. V., Premo, K., Taylor, A. M., Paul, S., Kundu, B., Berr, S., Gonen, A., Tsimikas, S. & Miller, Y. & 4 others, , Dec 2023, In: Nature Cardiovascular Research. 2, 12, p. 1328 1 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review |
Pattarabanjird, T., Nguyen, A. T., McSkimming, C., Dinh, H. Q., Marshall, M. A., Ghosheh, Y., Gulati, R., Durant, C., Vallejo, J., Saigusa, R., Drago, F., Guy, T. V., Premo, K., Taylor, A. M., Paul, S., Kundu, B., Berr, S., Gonen, A., Tsimikas, S. & Miller, Y. & 4 others, , Nov 2023, In: Nature Cardiovascular Research. 2, 11, p. 1003-1014 12 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Hillman, H., Khan, N., Singhania, A., Dubelko, P., Soldevila, F., Tippalagama, R., DeSilva, A. D., Gunasena, B., Perera, J., Scriba, T. J., Ontong, C., Fisher, M., Luabeya, A., Taplitz, R., Seumois, G., Vijayanand, P., , Peters, B. & Burel, J. G., Jan 11 2023, In: Frontiers in immunology. 13, 1087010. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Padgett, L. E., Marcovecchio, P. M., Olingy, C. E., Araujo, D. J., Steel, K., Dinh, H. Q., Alimadadi, A., , Meyer, M. A., Kiosses, W. B., Thomas, G. D. & , 2023, In: Frontiers in immunology. 14, 1101497. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Meyer, M. A., Dinh, H. Q., Alimadadi, A., Araujo, D. J., Chatterjee, N., Gutierrez, N. A., , Hunter, E. L., Liang, S., Seumois, G., Kiosses, W. B., Catz, S. D., Vijayanand, P., Ottensmeier, C. & , 2023, In: Frontiers in immunology. 14, 1224045. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Iqneibi, S., Saigusa, R., Khan, A., Oliaeimotlagh, M., Armstrong Suthahar, S. S., Kumar, S., Alimadadi, A., Durant, C. P., Ghosheh, Y., McNamara, C. A., & , 2023, In: Frontiers in immunology. 14, 1239148. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Pandori, W. J., Padgett, L. E., Alimadadi, A., Gutierrez, N. A., Araujo, D. J., Huh, C. J., Olingy, C. E., Dinh, H. Q., Wu, R., Vijayanand, P., Chee, S. J., Ottensmeier, C. H. & , Nov 2022, In: Journal of Leukocyte Biology. 112, 5, p. 1053-1063 11 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Saigusa, R., Roy, P., Freuchet, A., Gulati, R., Ghosheh, Y., Armstrong Suthahar, S. S., Durant, C. P., Hanna, D. B., Kiosses, W. B., , Wen, L., Wu, R., Kuniholm, M. H., Landay, A. L., Anastos, K., Tien, P. C., Gange, S. J., Kassaye, S., Vallejo, J. & & 5 others, , May 2022, In: Nature Cardiovascular Research. 1, 5, p. 462-475 14 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Fan, Z., Pitmon, E., Wen, L., Miller, J., Ehinger, E., Herro, R., Liu, W., Chen, J., Mikulski, Z., Conrad, D. J., Marki, A., , Kumari, P., , Marcovecchio, P. M., , Hodges, C. A., Rathinam, V. A., Wang, K. & , Feb 1 2022, In: Journal of Immunology. 208, 3, p. 745-752 8 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Johnson, J. L., Ramadass, M., Rahman, F., Meneses-Salas, E., Zgajnar, N. R., Carvalho Gontijo, R., Zhang, J., Kiosses, W. B., , , Perego, M., Gunton, J. E., Pestonjamasp, K., Napolitano, G. & Catz, S. D., Oct 2021, In: Journal of Leukocyte Biology. 110, 4, p. 629-649 21 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Wolf, D., Gerhardt, T., Winkels, H., Michel, N. A., Pramod, A. B., Ghosheh, Y., Brunel, S., Buscher, K., Miller, J., McArdle, S., Baas, L., Kobiyama, K., Vassallo, M., Ehinger, E., Dileepan, T., Ali, A., Schell, M., Mikulski, Z., Sidler, D. & Kimura, T. & 13 others, , Sep 29 2020, In: Circulation. 142, 13, p. 1279-1293 15 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Dhanwani, R., Takahashi, M., Mathews, I. T., Lenzi, C., Romanov, A., Watrous, J. D., Pieters, B., , Benedict, C. A., Linden, J., Nilsson, R., Jain, M. & Sharma, S., Jul 2020, In: Science Advances. 6, 30, aba3688. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Joshi, S., Liu, K. X., Zulcic, M., Singh, A. R., Skola, D., Glass, C. K., Dominick Sanders, P., Sharabi, A. B., Pham, T. V., Tamayo, P., Shiang, D., Dinh, H. Q., , Morales, G. A., Garlich, J. R. & Durden, D. L., Mar 2020, In: Molecular cancer therapeutics. 19, 3, p. 755-764 10 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Narasimhan, P. B., Eggert, T., , Marcovecchio, P., Meyer, M. A., Wu, R. & , 2020, In: Journal of Immunology. 204, 1, p. 192-198 7 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Que, X., Hung, M. Y., Yeang, C., Gonen, A., Prohaska, T. A., Sun, X., Diehl, C., Määttä, A., Gaddis, D. E., Bowden, K., Pattison, J., MacDonald, J. G., Ylä-Herttuala, S., Mellon, P. L., , , Miller, Y. I., Glass, C. K., Peterson, K. L. & Binder, C. J. & 2 others, , Sep 27 2018, In: Nature. 561, 7724, p. E43 Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review |
Binnewies, M., Roberts, E. W., Kersten, K., Chan, V., Fearon, D. F., Merad, M., Coussens, L. M., Gabrilovich, D. I., Ostrand-Rosenberg, S., , Vonderheide, R. H., Pittet, M. J., Jain, R. K., Zou, W., Howcroft, T. K., Woodhouse, E. C., Weinberg, R. A. & Krummel, M. F., May 1 2018, In: Nature Medicine. 24, 5, p. 541-550 10 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Marcovecchio, P. M., Thomas, G. D., Mikulski, Z., Ehinger, E., Mueller, K. A. L., Blatchley, A., Wu, R., Miller, Y. I., Nguyen, A. T., Taylor, A. M., McNamara, C. A., & , 2017, In: Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology. 37, 11, p. 2043-2052 10 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Thomas, G. D., Hanna, R. N., Vasudevan, N. T., Hamers, A. A., Romanoski, C. E., McArdle, S., Ross, K. D., Blatchley, A., Yoakum, D., Hamilton, B. A., Mikulski, Z., Jain, M. K., Glass, C. K. & , Nov 15 2016, In: Immunity. 45, 5, p. 975-987 13 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
, Thomas, G. D. & , Sep 1 2016, In: Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology. 36, 9, p. 1722-1733 12 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review |
Hanna, R. N., Cekic, C., Sag, D., Tacke, R., Thomas, G. D., Nowyhed, H., Herrley, E., Rasquinha, N., McArdle, S., Wu, R., Peluso, E., Metzger, D., Ichinose, H., Shaked, I., Chodaczek, G., Biswas, S. K. & , Nov 20 2015, In: Science. 350, 6263, p. 985-990 6 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Hanna, R. N. & , Jul 2014, In: Nature Medicine. 20, 7, p. 707-708 2 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review |
Ryu, J. C., Davidson, B. P., Xie, A., Qi, Y., Zha, D., Belcik, J. T., Caplan, E. S., Woda, J. M., , Hanna, R. N., Lehman, N., Zhao, Y., Ting, A. & Lindner, J. R., Feb 12 2013, In: Circulation. 127, 6, p. 710-719 10 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Galkina, E. V., Butcher, M., Keller, S. R., Goff, M., Bruce, A., Pei, H., Sarembock, I. J., Sanders, J. M., Nagelin, M. H., Srinivasan, S., Kulkarni, R. N., , Lattanzio, F. A., Dobrian, A. D., Nadler, J. L. & , Feb 2012, In: Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology. 32, 2, p. 247-256 10 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
Sturek, J. M., Castle, J. D., Trace, A. P., Page, L. C., Castle, A. M., Evans-Molina, C., Parks, J. S., Mirmira, R. G. & , Jul 1 2010, In: Journal of Clinical Investigation. 120, 7, p. 2575-2589 15 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review |
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