Research Assistant Danielle Aguirre has been named iCubed’s “Featured Researcher of the Month” for August 2012. Danielle joined iCubed in 2010, focusing her research on immunology while also pursuing a master’s degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology.

In the lab, Danielle is currently working on the DEC-205 TRIAD project. The project involves developing an improved vaccine delivery platform system. The team is producing variant antibodies of anti-DEC-205 to try and diminish MHC binding ability while retaining the antibody’s capability of targeting dendritic cells. The goal of the research is to see an increased proliferation and activation in t-cells.

Before joining iCubed, Danielle earned her bachelor’s degree in marine biology from Texas A&M University. She was an Undergraduate Research Scholar and received the Texas Institute of Oceanography Fellowship Grant. Danielle has worked in various laboratories focusing on microbiology, genetics and analytical chemistry. Her research in those labs ranged from creating a genetic library of the bacterial organisms found in ballast water to analyzing sediment samples from the Pacific Northwest for specific biomarkers.