Home Department: Computer Science
Mentor: PJ Utz (Medicine - Immunology & Rheumatology)

“Unraveling the Antiviral Immune Signatures in Autoimmune Disorders: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment"

Dwija’s project investigates the complex relationship between antiviral immune
responses and autoimmune disorders. Autoimmune diseases affect millions globally, and her research aims to classify features associated with antiviral signatures in patients with these conditions. Using advanced immunological phenotyping techniques such as Luminex, Dwija will analyze the immune response in blood samples of individuals with various autoimmune diseases and diseases with post-infectious etiology (including long-COVID, PANS, POTS, ME/CFS) to determine characteristic features of immunity. Her findings could pave the way for improved diagnostic tools, more targeted therapies, and a deeper understanding of viral immunity in autoimmunity.