Education:

2007 Ph. D. Immunology - Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester MN

2003 Registered Dietitian #914012, Committee on Dietetic Registration

2002 BS Community-Medical Dietetics, Biology minor Viterbo University, La Crosse, Wi

Courses Offered:

102 General Biology with Lab

248 Human Nutrition

250 Cell Biology with Lab

347 Immunology with Lab

Research Interests:

Current research interests: Immunomodulatory properties of dietary phytochemicals for the prevention and treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer:

- Project 1: Effects of astaxanthin on the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
- Project 2: Efficacy of apple concentrate to stimulate gd T cell activity in a murine melanoma model
- Project 3: Effects of the endocrine disrupting chemical BPA on the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Selected Publications:

Heckman KL, Radhakrishnan S, Peikert T, Iijima K, McGregor HC, Bell MP, Kita H, and Pease LR.  T-bet expression by dendritic cells is required for the repolarization of allergic airway inflammation.  Eur J Immunol. 2008; 38: 2464-2474.

Pavelko KD, Heckman KL, Hansen MJ, Pease LR.  An effective vaccine strategy protective against antigenically distinct tumor variants.  Cancer Res. 2008; 68: 2471-2478.

Heckman KL, Schenk EL, Radhakrishnan S, Pavelko KD, Hansen MJ, Pease LR. Fast tracked CTL: rapid induction of potent anti-tumor killer T cells in situ.  Eur J Immunol. 2007. 37: 1827-1835.

Heckman KL and Pease LR.  Gene Splicing and Mutagenesis by PCR-driven Overlap Extension. Nature Protocols. 2007, 2: 924 – 932.

Blocki FA, Radhakrishnan S, Van Keulen VP, Heckman KL, Ciric B, Howe CL, Rodriguez M, Kwon E, Pease LR.  Induction of a gene expression program in dendritic cells with a cross-linking IgM antibody to the co-stimulatory molecule B7-DC.  FASEB J. 2006, 20: 2408-2410.
 
Van Keulen VP, Ciric B, Radhakrishnan S, Heckman KL, Mitsunaga Y, Iijima K, Kita H, Rodriguez M, Pease LR.  Immunomodulation using the recombinant monoclonal human B7-DC cross-linking antibody rHIgM12.  Clin Exp Immunol. 2006, 143: 314-321.

Tran DD, Edgar CE, Heckman KL, Sutor SL, Huntoon CJ, van Deursen J, McKean DL, Bram RJ. CAML is a p56Lck interacting protein that is required for thymocyte development. Immunity. 2005, 23:139-152.

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