Education

Ph.D.    Microbiology and Immunology     Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College Hanover, NH, 2005

Dissertation:  Immunomodulation and the prevention of Toxoplasma gondii- induced acute ileitis

Committee:  Lloyd H. Kasper (PI), Randolph J. Noelle, Edward Usherwood, Dominique Buzoni-Gatel, Nicholas Mantis

B.S.      Microbiology    University of Montana, 1999        

B.A.      Psychology   (honors) University of Montana, 1997

Courses Taught

BIOB160 (Principles of Biological Systems), BIOB260 (Cellular and Molecular Biology), BIOH365/370 (Human A&P for Health Professions I&II), BIOH460/461 (Tutoring Human A&P I&II), BIOH462 (Principles of Medical Physiology/UD Writing Course), BIOH480/481 (Teaching Human A&P I&II); BIOB498 (Independent Studies), BIOB499 (Independent Research/Honors College Thesis

Teaching Experience

Lecturer, Division of Biological Sciences; University of Montana 2010-present

Adjunct Instructor, School of Health Sciences; Kaplan University 2009-2015

Adjunct Instructor, Chamberlain School of Nursing 2009-2010

Adjunct Instructor, Community College of Vermont 2005-2006

Guest Lecturer, Colby Sawyer College 2002

Cell Biology Teaching Assistant, Dartmouth College 2002

Research Interests

Mucosal Immunity, host responses to pathogenic stimulation, intracellular signaling, toll-like receptors

Projects

University of Montana Pedagogy Project Steering Committee

Field of Study

Human Anatomy and Physiology, Immunology, Autoimmune Diseases, Vaccine Development, Infectious Diseases, Intracellular Signaling

Selected Publications

Bowen, W.S*. Minns, L.A.*, Johnson, D.A., Mitchell, TC, Hutton, M.M., Evans, J.T. Selective TRIF-Dependent Signaling by a Synthetic Toll-Like Receptor Agonist. 14 February 2012 Science Signaling, Vol. 5, Issue 211, p. ra13 (*co- first authorship)

Segal BM, Constantinescu CS, Raychaudhuri A, Kim L, Fidelus-Gort R, Kasper LH; Ustekinumab MS Investigators. Repeated subcutaneous injections of IL12/23 p40 neutralising antibody, ustekinumab, in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a phase II, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised, dose-ranging study.Lancet Neurol. 2008 Sep;7(9):796-804.

Menard, L.C., L.A. Minns, S. Darche, D.W. Mielcarz, D.M. Foureau, D. Roos, F. Dzierszinski, L.H. Kasper, and D. Buzoni-Gatel. 2007. B cells amplify IFN-gamma production by T cells via a TNF-alpha-mediated mechanism. J Immunol 179:4857-4866.

Minns, L.A., L.C. Menard, D.M. Foureau, S. Darche, C. Ronet, D.W. Mielcarz, D. Buzoni-Gatel, and L.H. Kasper. 2006. TLR9 is required for the gut-associated lymphoid tissue response following oral infection of Toxoplasma gondii. J Immunol 176:7589-7597.

Rachinel, N., D. Buzoni-Gatel, C. Dutta, F.J. Mennechet, S. Luangsay, L.A. Minns, M.E. Grigg, S. Tomavo, J.C. Boothroyd, and L.H. Kasper. 2004. The induction of acute ileitis by a single microbial antigen of Toxoplasma gondii. J Immunol 173:2725-2735.

Minns, L.A., D. Buzoni-Gatel, K.H. Ely, N. Rachinel, S. Luangsay, and L.H. Kasper. 2004. A novel triterpenoid induces transforming growth factor beta production by intraepithelial lymphocytes to prevent ileitis. Gastroenterology 127:119-126.

Mennechet, F.J., L.H. Kasper, N. Rachinel, L.A. Minns, S. Luangsay, A. Vandewalle, and D. Buzoni-Gatel. 2004. Intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes prevent pathogen-driven inflammation and regulate the Smad/T-bet pathway of lamina propria CD4+ T cells. Eur J Immunol 34:1059-1067.

Kasper, L., N. Courret, S. Darche, S. Luangsay, F. Mennechet, L. Minns, N. Rachinel, C. Ronet, and D. Buzoni-Gatel. 2004. Toxoplasma gondii and mucosal immunity. Int J Parasitol 34:401-409.

Luangsay, S., L.H. Kasper, N. Rachinel, L.A. Minns, F.J. Mennechet, A. Vandewalle, and D. Buzoni-Gatel. 2003. CCR5 mediates specific migration of Toxoplasma gondii-primed CD8 lymphocytes to inflammatory intestinal epithelial cells. Gastroenterology 125:491-500.

Channon, J.Y., K.A. Miselis, L.A. Minns, C. Dutta, and L.H. Kasper. 2002. Toxoplasma gondii induces granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor secretion by human fibroblasts: implications for neutrophil apoptosis. Infect Immun 70:6048-6057.

Affiliations

American Association of Immunologists  2009-present

Human Anatomy and Physiology Society  2011-present

Federation of Clinical and Immunological Societies (FOCiS)  2003-present

Society of Mucosal Immunology  2001-2005

New York Academy of Sciences 2003-2004

Professional Experience

Staff Scientist- ImmunologyImmune Design Corp. Seattle, WA 2009- June 2010

Scientific Advisory Board: Rafi Ahmed, David Baltimore, Lawrence Corey, Carl June, Steven Reed, Inder Verma, Ralph Steinman*

Postdoctoral Scientist- ImmunologyGSK-Vaccines Hamilton, MT 2007-2009

Mentors: Jory R. Baldridge, Melinda H. Hutton, Jay T. Evans

Postdoctoral Scientist-Immunology Dartmouth Center for Translational Medicine at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center Lebanon, NH 2005-2007

Mentors: Randolph J. Noelle, Lloyd H. Kasper

International Experience

Institut Pasteur  Paris, France March 2004-July 2004                                                       

Visiting Research Scientist,  Department of Parasitology and Immunology (Dominique Buzoni-Gatel and Jaques Louis)