EDUCATION
M.S. (Molecular Biology) 1994, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
Ph.D. (Immunology) 2000, Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2000-2002, Department of Transplantation Biology, Mayo Clinic
Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2002-2004, Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic
Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2004-2006, Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University
     School of Medicine, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center

 

EMPLOYMENT

AWARD
Scholarship from Stockholm University (Donationsstipendium, Ekström J-As minnesfond),
     1995-1996

AREAS OF RESEARCH
My research is focused on understanding the regulation of T cells as it applies to finding correlates of protection in development of vaccines against infectious diseases and developing therapeutics against autoimmune disease and cancer. Currently, the focus is on developing new vaccines against Francisella tularenisis, the causative agent of the disease tularemia, a potential bioterrorist threat and also an interesting model of intracellular pathogens in general. We are developing immune-assays such as intracellular staining of cytokines by flow cytometry to monitor activation related functions of Francisella-specific T cells with the aim to determine correlates of immunity.

 

REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS

1. Böhme, J., N. Brenden, C. Rietz and B. Pilström: Dominant Disease Protection in MHC Transgenic NOD Mice. More Than One Mechanism? Review. The Immunologist 3/2, 1995.

    

2. Brenden, N., C. Rietz and J. Böhme: Assessment of Insulitis in Ea Transgenic NOD Mice with the IL-4 Gene Disrupted. Manuscript in Nina Brendens’ and Cecilia Rietz’s PhD theses, 1999.

    

3. Brenden, N., C. Rietz and J. Böhme: E Expression is Needed on Both Bone Marrow Derived Cells and Thymic Epithelium to Increase IL-4 Production and Achieve Protection in NOD Bone Marrow Chimeras. Cytokine 11(10): 766-772, 1999.

    

4. Rietz, C.*, B. Pilström*, N. Brenden and J. Böhme: Minute Defects in the Expression of MHC E Molecules Lead to Impaired Protection from Autoimmunity in NOD Mice. Scand. J. Immunol. 50(4): 405-410, 1999. * These authors contributed equally.

    

5. Sverremark, E., C. Rietz and C. Fernández: k-Deficient Mice are Non-responders to Dextran B512: Is This Unresponsiveness Due to Specialization of the k and g Ig Repertoires? Int. Immunol. 12(4): 431-438, 2000.

    

6. Rietz, C., V. Screpanti, N. Brenden and C. Fernández: Neonatal Pattern of V_H Gene Utilization in Nonobese Diabetic Mice does not Correlate with Development of Insulitis. Scand. J. Immunol. 54(5): 470-476, 2001.

    

7. Keshavarzi, S., C. Rietz, S. Simöes, S. Shih, J. L. Platt, J. Wong, M. Wabl and C. Cascalho: The Possibility of B-Cell-Dependent T-Cell Development. Scand. J. Immunol. 57(5): 446-452, 2003.

    

8. Rietz, C., V. Screpanti, N. Brenden, J. Böhme and C. Fernandez: Overexpression of Bcl-2 in T Cells Affects Insulitis in the Nonobese Diabetic Mouse. Scand. J. Immunol. 57(4): 342-349, 2003.

    

9. Rietz, C. and L. Chen: New B7 Family Members with Positive and Negative Costimulatory Function. Review. Am. J. Transplant. 4(1): 8-14, 2004.

    

10. Hirano, F., K. Kaneko, H. Tamura, H. Dong, S. Wang, M. Ichikawa, C. Rietz, D. B. Flies, J. S. Lau, G. Zhu, K. Tamada and L. Chen: Blockade of B7-H1 and PD-1 by Monoclonal Antibodies Potentiates Cancer Therapeutic Immunity. Cancer Res. 65(3): 1089-1096, 2005.

     

11. Conlan, J. W., X. Zhao, G. Harris, H. Shen, M. Bolanowski, C. Rietz, A. Sjöstedt and W. Chen: Molecular Immunology of Experimental Primary Tularemia in Mice Infected by Respiratory or Intradermal Routes with Type A Francisella tularensis. Mol. Immunol. 45(10): 2962-2969, 2008.

     

12. Azuma, T., G. Zhu., H. Xu, A. C. Rietz, C. Drake, E. Matteson and L. Chen: Potential Role of Decoy B7-H4 in the Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Mouse Model Informed by Clinical Data. PLoS Med. 6(10): e1000166, 2009.

     

13. Zhu, G., M. M. Augustine, T. Azuma, L. Luo, S. Yao, S. Anand, A. C. Rietz, J. Huang, H. Xu, A. S. Flies, S. J. Flies, K. Tamada, M. Colonna, J. M. van Deursen and L. Chen: B7-H4-Deficient Mice Display Augmented Neutrophil-Mediated Innate Immunity. Blood 113(8): 1759-1767, 2009.