Didonna Lab

The Didonna Lab aims at understanding the mechanistic connection between aberrant immune responses and neurodegenerative processes in chronic human diseases.

[Didonna Lab @DidonnaLab]

Really excited to share our new work on the neuroprotective role of specific HLA alleles on Parkinson's disease that was published in Neurology N2 @GreenJournal @ECUBrodySOM
https://t.co/9CzgDvC7mF

[ECU Brody School of Medicine @ECUBrodySOM]

Judge Jack Jenkins, youngest son of former ECU Chancellor Leo Jenkins, gave a Brody Auditorium lunchtime talk on his father’s leadership style. One tip that stood out — put in the work. Another, make the choice as leader you know is just and right in your heart.

[ECU Brody School of Medicine @ECUBrodySOM]

Congrats biomedical sciences grad students on your _18_ first-author publications (28 total) this academic year, and particularly award winners Savanna Williams, Drew Theobald, Kathryn Lorbacher and (not pictured) Connor Cribb.

[nature @Nature]

Nature research paper: Lineage and organ signals sequentially build organ intrinsic nervous systems
https://t.co/V87bLVLjsR

[Neurology Journal @GreenJournal]

Shared Epitope-Positive HLA Alleles Protect Against Alpha-Synuclein Pathology in a Model of Parkinson Disease https://t.co/fDGu0pB0Mz

#NeuroTwitter #ParkinsonDisease

[Didonna Lab @DidonnaLab]

Proud to see @EastCarolina recognized by the @cure345 Innovation Index as one of the top 303 U.S. institutions advancing biomedical innovation.

https://t.co/qT1jKu5f5q

[ECU @EastCarolina]

#ECU researchers are driving what’s next. ⏩

More than 60 scholars, innovators and creators were recently honored for their contributions to research, creative activity and innovation.

Learn more ⤵️ https://t.co/JzT0jd1XOk

[Didonna Lab @DidonnaLab]

I am truly grateful for receiving the Early Career Trendsetter Award. This achievement could have not been possible without the support of Brody, the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology and all the dedicated people working in the lab.

[Joe Sabatino @jsabatino37]

Multiple molecular mimics in Epstein Barr Nuclear Antigen-1, and the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis

https://t.co/YMTXOTBBvn

[ECU Brody School of Medicine @ECUBrodySOM]

Meet our 2026 Brody Brothers Endowment Research Grant recipients! These are primary investigators of deadly cancers, cellular metabolism, parasite-host dynamics and more. Thank you, Brody Family, for your _ongoing_ generous support of these researchers at @ECU.

[Didonna Lab @DidonnaLab]

Great teamwork for the traditional departmental door decoration contest that resulted in our first second place🎄

[Science Magazine @ScienceMagazine]

Some archaea—an ancient group of microorganisms—have an entirely novel genetic code, according to a new study in Science. Their genetic code reassigns a DNA “stop” signal to incorporate the rare amino acid pyrrolysine into their proteins.

The findings expand our understanding of how alternative genetic codes evolve and hint at new molecular tools for biotechnology applications. https://t.co/SNz70GImAi

[Didonna Lab @DidonnaLab]

Thrilled to see our paper published in @FEBSJournal — We used a novel conditional knockout line to dissect the function of ataxin-1 in the B cell compartment @ECUBrodySOM
https://t.co/sPt9IvhVaF

[MStranslate @MStranslate]

BREAKING NEWS: @Roche have announced their BTK inhibitor, #fenebrutinib, has achieved successful trial results in both relapsing-remitting & primary progressive #MultipleSclerosis. #MS [1/2]

Read more: https://t.co/r9YP533Aw7

[Didonna Lab @DidonnaLab]

A lab coordinator position is available at ECU Brody School of Medicine to manage the flow cytometry and cell imaging core facilities. If you have hands-on experience in these techniques and you are interested in the position apply here:

https://t.co/2yqxXRJ2k1

[Didonna Lab @DidonnaLab]

Thrilled for Rachael's first official persentation of her project on MS!

[Didonna Lab @DidonnaLab]

Excited to be part of the Neuroscience Symposium for the Eastern Carolina Chapter of the SfN. Here, John presenting his work on centaurin A1 in MS.

[Hollenbach Lab @hollenbachlab]

Thrilled to celebrate😀, Dr. Jill A. Hollenbach
@jillahjillah recipient of the 2025 Bernard Amos Distinguished Scientist Award at #ASHI51! 🏅for her pioneering work in HLA & Immunogenetics. So proud to learn from the best. 🧬✨ #ASHI2025 #HLA #Immunogenetics

[The Nobel Prize @NobelPrize]

BREAKING NEWS
The 2025 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi “for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance.”

[Didonna Lab @DidonnaLab]

It has been a great honor to visit the lab directed by Dr. Deborah Kronenberg-Versteeg at DZNE in Tübingen. Her amazing students conduct pioneering research on neurodegeneration and are truly passionate about science. I look forward to future collaborations!