Joseph Blattman, Assistant Professor, School of Life Sciences and The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University

Joseph Blattman is an immunologist who studies how the immune system responds to vaccination and viral infection. Focusing on T cell immune responses, he is investigating how the immune system balances diversity versus efficacy, how vaccines affect the balance between immunologic protection from infection or tumor growth, and disease enhancement due to immunopathology.
Blattman and his research team use quantitative mathematical models to describe the kinetics of infection and immune responses in the body. This allows them to predict which aspects of a T cell response protect the body and which contribute to disease progression. The team tests show T cell responses affect susceptibility to infection, disease severity after infection and subsequent pathogen transmission. His work is being used to develop safer and more effective vaccines for humans.