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Alma-Martina Cepika is an immunologist with an extensive background in human immunology, genomics, and translational research. Her goal is to understand the mechanisms governing immune tolerance and leverage this knowledge to develop new therapies. She received her MD and PhD in Immunology from the University of Zagreb School of Medicine in Croatia, focusing on immunomonitoring in lupus patients and identifying changes in circulating DNA levels with therapy. Following her doctoral studies, she completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the lab of Dr. Virginia Pascual at the Baylor Institute for Immunology Research in Dallas, Texas, where she developed a multi-pronged in vitro stimulation assay called the Tollgene assay. This assay evaluates the phenotype and function of blood leukocytes in patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA). Alma's new laboratory in the Department of Surgery at Stanford continues exploring the pathogenesis of human autoinflammatory conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the biology of human Tregs in the tumor microenvironment. Additionally, she focuses on the role Tregs play in resisting anti-tumor immunity in cancer immunotherapy.
Stanford University School of Medicine • Stanford, CA
Member of the Division of General Surgery, focusing on immunology and autoinflammatory conditions.
The Computer Science department emphasizes research potential. GRE General is currently optional but recommended for some tracks.