By TODD GOTTULA
UNK Communications
KEARNEY – University of Nebraska at Kearney associate biology professor Joe Dolence has received a National Institutes of Health grant, becoming the first UNK faculty member to earn a Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) award.
The four-year grant provides approximately $500,000 to support research examining why males and females respond differently to peanut allergens and how those differences may influence the development of peanut allergies.
Dolence received the grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, for his project, “Androgens Protect Against Development of Immune Responses to Peanut.”
The SuRE program supports high-quality biomedical research at institutions that play an important role in training undergraduate students. The award supports scientific discovery and hands-on student research opportunities.
Funding will support student researchers, laboratory supplies and experiments examining how sex hormones influence the development of peanut allergy.
Peanut allergy is among the most common and severe food allergies. Researchers have observed that females are more likely than males to develop peanut allergies, but the reasons remain unclear.
Dolence’s research will examine how male sex hormones, known as androgens, influence immune responses to peanut allergens. By identifying biological factors that may protect against peanut allergy, the project could help inform future prevention and treatment strategies.
“The award is exciting not only because of the scientific questions it will help answer, but also because of the opportunities it creates for students,” Dolence said.
Since arriving at UNK in 2018, Dolence has studied how the immune system responds to peanut allergens. Previous research conducted at UNK identified differences in how male and female mice respond to peanut exposure and pointed to a possible protective role for androgen signaling.
Over the next four years, Dolence and his student researchers will investigate how androgens influence the immune responses that initiate and drive peanut allergy. Findings will be presented at scientific conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.
“Undergraduate researchers will be involved in every stage of the project, from conducting experiments and analyzing data to presenting research at scientific meetings and contributing to publications,” Dolence said. “Student involvement has always been a central part of my research program, and this award will significantly expand those opportunities. This grant will allow us to provide even more cutting-edge experiential learning experiences for students at UNK along with doing some cool and important science.”
Dolence teaches immunology, advanced molecular biology, seminar in biology and courses within UNK’s online master’s degree program. His research focuses on immunology, food allergy and sex differences in immune responses.