Deepshika “Shika” Ramanan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis
Salk Institute
Seminar Information
At birth, babies are exposed to thousands of microorganisms, both symbiotic and pathogenic, some of which colonize the infant and become their early life microbiota. While mothers provide most of these microbes, they also provide immune factors in their breastmilk such as antibodies, which protect from pathogens, shape the infant’s microbiota and dictate life-long immunity, specifically in the intestine. What determines the immune composition of breastmilk in mothers and the mechanisms by which these components determine the offspring’s intestinal health is not fully understood. The Ramanan lab studies the entero-mammary axis (the bidirectional communication between the intestines and the mammary glands) and its role in maternal transfer of immunity to their offspring. Using multi-omic approaches, our goal is to understand how entero-mammary immunity in mothers influences breastmilk composition, and delineate mechanisms by which breastmilk components regulate the microbiota and protect the offspring from infection and autoimmunity.
Deepshika “Shika” Ramanan, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis at the Salk Institute. Her research focuses on maternal transfer of immunity and the impact of breastmilk on offspring health, particularly in the contexts of infection and autoimmunity. Her lab also investigates how maternal immunity can be conveyed across multiple generations and how the maternal immune system adapts during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Shika earned her B.Sc. at Winona State University and her PhD in Immunology and Inflammation at New York University under the mentorship of Dr. Ken Cadwell. She completed her postdoctoral training as a Damon Runyon Fellow with Dr. Diane Mathis and Dr. Christophe Benoist at Harvard Medical School, and she received the Damon Runyon Dale F. Frey Breakthrough Scientist Award and the STAT Wunderkind Award for her postdoctoral work. Shika started her lab at the Salk Institute in 2023 and is currently a Rita Allen Scholar and V Foundation Scholar.