CONTACT INFORMATIONCREDENTIALSAWARDSPUBLICATIONSMark Y. Sangster, Ph.D.Contact InformationPhone NumbersOffice: (585) 273-3109LocationsUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterSchool of Medicine and Dentistry601 Elmwood Ave, Box 609Rochester, NY 14642Faculty AppointmentsResearch Professor - Department of Medicine , Nephrology (SMD) BiographyResearchOverview Virus-specific antibodies play a key role in providing a protective barrier to infection and in facilitating viral clearance once an infection is established. Antibody-producing cells or plasma cells are generated from B cells that divide and differentiate following recognition of specific antigen. A critical requirement for optimal antibody responses is the cognate help delivered to activated B cells by CD4 T cells. This help is important for directing antibody isotype switching in B cells, the process by which B cells switch from expressing IgM to expressing alternative isotypes (such as IgG1, IgG2a, and IgA in the mouse) with different functional characteristics. In addition, cognate T cell help is critical if activated B cells are to participate in germinal center reactions, where affinity maturation of the antibody response takes place and the cellular elements of B cell memory are generated. These elements include long-lived plasma cells, which maintain high levels of protective antibodies, and a population of memory B cells that will respond with rapid antibody production on re-exposure to cognate antigen. This brief overview grossly simplifies a remarkable and complex process that is regulated at many levels in ways that modulate the kinetics, magnitude, and quality of the acute B cell response, as well as characteristics of dispersed plasma cell and memory B cell populations. In general terms, our research is aimed at understanding the characteristics of optimally effective B cell responses and applying this knowledge towards the improvement of vaccination regimens. Specific Research Interests Our specific research focus is the B cell response to viruses that infect the respiratory tract (with an emphasis on influenza virus) and to vaccination regimens designed to generate B cell-mediated protection against these viruses. Particular research interests include: (i) regulation of the acute B cell response to infection and vaccination and the differentiation pathways that generate B cell memory and virus-neutralizing antibodies, (ii) aspects of B cell memory (plasma cells, memory B cells) in the respiratory tract, including mechanisms of localization, role in protection, and relationship to form of immunization, and (iii) regulation of IgA production and the establishment of antibody-mediated protection at mucosal surfaces.CredentialsEducation1984BS | Australia-U Western Australia - PerthGenetics1991PhD | Australia-U Western Australia - PerthGeneticsAwards1991Athelstan and Amy Saw Medical Research AwardSponsor: University of Western Australia1985Australian Commonwealth Postgraduate Award for Dissertation Research1984Swan Brewery Prize for Undergraduate Honors ThesisLocation: University of Western AustraliaVIEW ALL expand_morePublicationsJournal Articles1/29/2022Embong AK, Nguyen-Contant P, Wang J, Kanagaiah P, Chaves FA, Fitzgerald TF, Zhou Q, Kosoy G, Branche AR, Miller BL, Zand MS, Sangster MY, Topham DJ. "Formation and Expansion of Memory B Cells against Coronavirus in Acutely Infected COVID-19 Individuals." Pathogens.. 2022 Jan 29; 11(2)Epub 2022 Jan 29. 11/10/2021Young BE, Seppo AE, Diaz N, Rosen-Carole C, Nowak-Wegrzyn A, Cruz Vasquez JM, Ferri-Huerta R, Nguyen-Contant P, Fitzgerald T, Sangster MY, Topham DJ, Järvinen KM. "Association of Human Milk Antibody Induction, Persistence, and Neutralizing Capacity With SARS-CoV-2 Infection vs mRNA Vaccination." JAMA pediatrics.. 2021 Nov 10; Epub 2021 Nov 10. 7/6/2021Wang J, Li D, Perry S, Hilchey SP, Wiltse A, Treanor JJ, Sangster MY, Zand MS. "Broadly Reactive IgG Responses to Heterologous H5 Prime-Boost Influenza Vaccination Are Shaped by Antigenic Relatedness to Priming Strains." mBio.. 2021 Jul 6; :e0044921. Epub 2021 Jul 06. VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONSClose WindowSchedule an appointment with Mark Y. Sangster, Ph.D.Please answer the following questions to help us find the right appointment for you.Important: If you believe that you have a medical or psychiatric emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest hospital. This website is not intended for emergency care.Have you seen this provider in the last 2 years?YesNoExisting Patient Schedule or request a follow up appointment online through MyChart. If you do not have a MyChart account, please close this window and call the appointment phone number. Mark Y. Sangster, Ph.D. is currently scheduling for the following appointment type(s): Our policy does not permit patients to establish care with multiple providers within the same practice or specialty without prior approval. If you choose a new provider in the same office, we will cancel the appointment. Please contact the office directly with questions on this policy.