Dr. Katayoun Ayasoufi

Biography

Katayoun Ayasoufi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Duke University, specializing in the mechanisms of immunosuppression associated with neurological insults. With a classical training in immunology, her PhD research focused on drug-induced immunosuppression and mechanisms of immune reconstitution in mouse models pertinent to transplantation. Notably, she discovered that common lymphocyte depleting drugs such as ATG diminish the memory CD4 T cell population, which is essential for optimal thymic function and the production of new T cells. During her postdoctoral fellowship, she developed a keen interest in the neuroimmune interactions in brain cancer and brain injuries, employing her expertise to investigate the severe peripheral immunosuppression observed in patients with acute and chronic neurological diseases. Her research indicates that neurological diseases significantly lower CD4 T cell counts and induce immune organ atrophy, leading to unknown mechanisms of profound immunosuppression. She aims to elucidate the causes of peripheral immunosuppression in patients with glioblastoma and other neurological conditions and to devise therapeutic strategies to counteract this condition. Ayasoufi's work is expected to impact a broad cohort of patients suffering from various acute and chronic neurological conditions.

Research Interests

Experience