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Robyn S. Klein, M.D., Ph.D.
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Robyn S. Klein, M.D., Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Medicine Office Location: 7273 McDonnell Pediatric Research Building Dr. Klein joined the Washington University School of Medicine in 2003. She received her M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She then completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard University and her fellowship in Infectious Diseases and post-doctoral training in Immunology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University. Her long-term research goal is to understand the molecular basis of inflammation-associated dysfunction and damage in the central nervous system (CNS) in viral and autoimmune encephalitides and to identify potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of neuroinflammatory diseases. Research Interests "I have focused on two components of CNS inflammatory states: the mechanism of leukocyte recruitment into the CNS and the direct effects of inflammatory mediators on neurons. Common to both of these is the action of chemokines, which both recruit leukocytes into the CNS and signal through chemokine receptors present on neurons, affecting their function and survival. My experimental approach involves the development of in vitro and in vivo models of CNS mononuclear cell recruitment and neuronal chemokine receptor signaling responses. Using these tools, we will examine the role of chemokines and their receptors in both normal and inflamed CNS in order to determine how their actions relate to the wide range of pathology observed in CNS inflammatory diseases. Understanding the mechanism of mononuclear cell recruitment within the CNS and the neuronal injury induced by their secreted chemokines is also crucial for the development of therapies that limit CNS damage in a variety of infectious and autoimmune diseases."
Division of Infectious Diseases
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