Welcome to the Orvedahl lab

We utilize a combination of hypothesis-driven and discovery-based approaches to understand factors that regulate host immune responses to infectious and sterile triggers of severe inflammation.

Our lab seeks to understand how immune responses are restrained to prevent potentially fatal overwhelming immune responses. We use in vitro and in vivo approaches for discovery of genes that regulate the cellular response to cytokines and inflammatory triggers, and investigate these factors in models of human disease. We found the cytoplasmic recycling pathway of autophagy protected macrophages against cytokine-induced cell death and mice against fatal cytokine storm syndrome. Preliminary findings point towards a critical intersection of these processes with immunometabolism. We are leveraging a robust and expanding set of genetic toolkits to dissect the pathways leading to protective vs. pathogenic mechanisms in cytokine storm syndromes triggered by various etiologies including SARS-CoV-2. The ultimate goal is to develop host-directed therapies for infectious and inflammatory disorders.

Lab research
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Learn more about our research…

These posters are meant to show that racial justice and support for marginalized communities cannot be separated from the practice of science. We must actively work to recognize the obstacles that scientists (and potential scientists) from marginalized communities face, and dismantle structures of power that prevent them from succeeding. We must also consider the effects of our research and research choices on marginalized communities. Please see SammyKatta for more! Modified with images from BioRender.com

Come learn with us…

If you are interested in joining our team of researchers, explore our opening.

Links and news

Faculty Feature Anthony Orvedahl (Links to an external site)

Faculty Feature Anthony Orvedahl
Anthony Orvedahl, MD, PhD, was born in Denver, CO. He is the product of a professionally eclectic family: his father worked in the aerospace industry; mother was a homemaker and administrative assistant; older brother an accomplished comedian; and younger brother a woodworker. His paternal grandfather designed one of the earliest computers at the Los Alamos […]