University of Alabama at Birmingham · BiologyNeutrophil Immunology Lab
Zdenek Hel · Birmingham, Alabama
Research Focus
Dr. Zdenek Hel's lab at the University of Alabama at Birmingham focuses on understanding how specific types of immune cells called neutrophils contribute to liver and gastrointestinal diseases in individuals infected with HIV-1. Their research primarily investigates the role of dysregulated neutrophil populations and their activation in disease progression, aiming to uncover potential therapeutic targets for treatment.
HIV-1neutrophilsgastrointestinal diseaseliver diseaseinnate immunityNETosis
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the role of neutrophil subpopulations in HIV-1 disease progression.
AIM 02Identify mechanisms responsible for chronic neutrophil activation in HIV-1 infection.
AIM 03Characterize neutrophil-induced damage to the gastrointestinal mucosa and liver.
AIM 04Evaluate the impact of neutrophil dysregulation on health outcomes in ART-treated patients.
AIM 05Explore potential pharmacological interventions targeting neutrophil activation.
Skills the Lab Values
cell cultureflow cytometryPCRgene expression analysisanimal modelsimmunohistochemistrymicroscopyRNA sequencingbioinformatics
Output against the department
Publications57bottom 14% of dept.887th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations3.4kbottom 26% of dept.766th of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.