Luz P. Blanco, Ph.D. is a Research Investigator in the Division of Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine. She earned her Ph.D. degree in Microbiology from the Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile in 1997. Her graduate work focused on the role of acid phosphatase in the pathogenesis of Salmonella enterica sv. typhi mentored by Professor Guido Mora. During her PhD training she gained experience in biochemistry, bacterial genetics, and the host immune response against S. typhi the agent of human typhoid fever. In 1993 she joined the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Chile as Assistant Professor of Immunology. Here she researched the interaction of human Natural Killer cells with S. typhi until 2001, when she came to do her sabbatical as a visiting scientist with Professor Victor J. DiRita at the University of Michigan. She was awarded a Latin-American fellowship from the American Society for Microbiology to accomplish research focused on cutting-edge problems in microbial pathogenesis and early innate immune response against Vibrio cholerae.

Dr. Blanco studied the mechanisms by which intestinal M cells interact with mucosal pathogens, with an emphasis on V. cholerae, the agent of human cholera. Recognition, uptake and transcytosis of infecting microbes by M cells are considered one of the earliest events leading to long-lived immunity. How mucosal immunity to V. cholerae infection develops is an important question in vaccine research aimed at protecting susceptible populations against cholera and other relevant enteric pathogens as well. Her research led to novel and important insights that have had a major impact on the field of bacteria and antibodies interaction with the hallmark sampling M cells.

Dr. Blanco is currently involved in studying the molecular mechanism involved in the adjuvant effect mechanisms involved in a nanoemulsion-based adjuvant vaccine the Institute develops for several viruses. Dr. Blanco is working on development of a nanoemulsion-based Hepatitis B vaccine.