MGI graduate student Bobby Zuniga has been awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Predoctoral Fellowship, or F31, from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
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Zuniga is a second-year graduate student who conducts his research in the lab of Qing-Sheng Mi, M.D., at Henry Ford Health, where he studies how the immune system develops and responds to disease. Notably, he is the first MSU Ph.D. student to conduct his dissertation research at Henry Ford Health and the first such trainee to receive an NIH F31 fellowship — milestones that reflect the growing strength of the Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences partnership.
Zuniga’s project, titled “Epigenetic Regulation of MAIT Cell Development and Function by Histone Demethylase JMJD3,” focuses on mucosal-associated invariant T, or MAIT, cells, a specialized group of immune cells that play important roles in fighting infections and contributing to cancer-related immune responses. Epigenetic regulation refers to changes in how genes are turned on or off without altering the underlying DNA itself.
His work centers on understanding how JMJD3, an enzyme that modifies chromatin structure, regulates the development and function of MAIT cells. By uncovering how these cells are controlled at the epigenetic level, Zuniga aims to identify new insights that could eventually inform the design of future immunotherapies.
The competitive F31 fellowship supports promising predoctoral researchers as they develop into independent scientists, providing funding for both research and training for three years. For Zuniga, the award represents both recognition of his work and an opportunity to deepen his scientific expertise.
“I am honored to be recognized with this fellowship and grateful for the support of my mentors, colleagues, and the MGI program,” said Zuniga. “This award provides an incredible opportunity to advance my research on T cells while developing the skills needed to become an independent scientist.”
“Bobby is an exceptionally talented Ph.D. student who has developed a unique expertise at the intersection of immunology and epigenetics,” said Mi. “His project has the potential to reveal fundamental mechanisms by which epigenetic programs shape unconventional T cell biology, with broad implications for cancer, infection, and autoimmune disease. This fellowship is a well-deserved recognition of Bobby’s scientific creativity, and I am confident he will make lasting contributions to the field of translational immunology,”
