This month's IFG lecture hosts Dr. Nichol Holodick, Associate Professor of Investigative Medicine from the Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine of Western Michigan University.

Dr. Holodick’s research focuses on the development and function of B-1 cells, a unique subset of B cells responsible for producing natural antibodies. Natural antibodies provide real-time and broad-spectrum protection against microbes and metabolic and tissue stress. Her work has advanced the understanding of how B-1 cells are influenced by aging, biological sex, and diseases such as sickle cell disease and atherosclerosis. She has also identified critical sex-dimorphic disparities in the longevity of immune response to bacterial infection and the decline of protective antibodies over time, with the goal of enhancing protective immunity across various populations.