Karin Heckman

My first love in biology is immunology- the study of the immune system that protects our bodies and fights off disease. I earned my BS in Community/Medical Dietetics from Viterbo University in Wisconsin and my PhD in Biomedical Science: Immunology from the Mayo Clinic. Since coming to SLU, I have been privileged to teach my specialty courses in Immunology, Human Nutrition, and Biology of Cancer as well as foundational courses in Cell Biology and General Biology. My research combines these interests by focusing on naturally occurring substances such as plant pigments that modulate the immune system. Using mouse models of human disease, my research students and I are working to identify potential therapeutic agents that accomplish one of two goals: dampening the autoimmune response in multiple sclerosis OR boosting the anti-tumor immune response to protect against melanoma.