Deanna Santer, PhD

Research summary

Interferons (IFNs) serve as the backbone of the innate antiviral immune response that directly inhibit virus replication and spread. While type I IFNs were discovered over 60 years ago, type III IFNs and their unique heterodimeric receptor (IFN-LR1/IL-10RB) were discovered in 2003, meaning there is much to discover about their biology and mechanisms of immunoregulation. Dr. Santer's research program focuses on IFN biology and how type I versus type III IFNs regulate human immune cell responses against viruses or after vaccination. This includes type III IFN treatment of COVID-19 patients with our collaborators at the University of Alberta and University Health Network.

Research themes

• Infectious diseases
• Chronic inflammation
• Immune cell biology

Keywords

• Human immunology
• Antiviral immunity
• Interferons
• Immune regulation

Research affiliations

• GSK Endowed Research Chair in Immunobiology of Infectious Diseases
• Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM)

Research groups

• Canadian Society for Immunology
• Canadian Society for Virology
• International Cytokine & Interferon Society

Dr. Deanna Santer is an assistant professor in immunology at the Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba and GSK Research Chair in immunobiology of infectious diseases.

Dr. Santer completed her B.Sc. (honours) in immunology and infection at the University of Alberta and her PhD in Immunology at the University of Washington under the supervision of Dr. Keith Elkon. For her postdoctoral work, she came back to Canada to work in the lab of nobel laureate Dr. Michael Houghton at the University of Alberta where her projects included working with various viruses, before developing her own research program studying the newest family of IFNs, IFN-lambdas.

Outside of the lab, Dr. Santer has been actively involved in promoting women in STEM having volunteered for many years with WISEST as a mentor for high school and elementary girls (at UAlberta), and she looks forward to joining efforts at UManitoba through WISDOM.

Education

Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Alberta (2017)

Doctor of Philosophy in Immunology, University of Washington (2010)

Bachelor of Science with Honors in Immunology and Infection, University of Alberta (2005)