Associate Researcher
fahmida.alam@mssm.edu
Research Interest
My past research involved validating and optimizing therapeutic potentials of transgenic donor-derived, in vitro-generated, cryopreserved memory CD4 T cells against 
murine influenza A virus infection. I also studied the impact of memory CD4 T cell-derived interleukin-2 (IL-2) on lung tissues during influenza A virus infection and how selective targeting of IL-2 receptor components can improve the outcome of viral infections. In Garcia-Sastre laboratory, I study the host response to viral infections using CRISPR-edited mouse models.
Notable Publications
- Alam F, Singh A, Flores-Malavet V, Sell S, Cooper AM, Swain SL, McKinstry KK, Strutt TM. CD25-Targeted IL-2 Signals Promote Improved Outcomes of Influenza Infection and Boost Memory CD4 T Cell Formation. J Immunol. 2020 Jun 15;204(12):3307-3314. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2000205. Epub 2020 May 6. PMID: 32376651; PMCID: PMC7327712.
- McKinstry KK, Alam F, Flores-Malavet V, Nagy MZ, Sell S, Cooper AM, Swain SL, Strutt TM. Memory CD4 T cell-derived IL-2 synergizes with viral infection to exacerbate lung inflammation. PLoS Pathog. 2019 Aug 14;15(8):e1007989. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007989. PMID: 31412088; PMCID: PMC6693742.
- Alam F, Gilchrist A, Strutt TM. Cryopreserved Influenza A Virus (IAV)-specific memory CD4 T cells are capable of mediating protection against lethal doses of virus. Florida Medical Student Research Journal. Volume 4, page 101. April 2019.