Michelle Flenniken at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility (Photo by Kim Fondrk)
Michelle Flenniken
Häagen-Dazs postdoctoral fellow Dr. Michelle Flenniken is conducting studies on the details of honey bee cellular immune responses to infection by RNA viruses in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Mission Bay campus of UC San Francisco. The eventual goal is to find a way to interfere with virus replication in infected host cells. Working in conjunction with Dr. Joseph Derisi's team, in an adjacent laboratory, she also is involved in the process of developing microarray "chips" that will be able to demonstrate the presence of any known honey bee pathogen(s) in a submitted bee sample. Michelle obtains her virus-infected bees from Bay Area hobby beekeepers and she delivers extremely well-received research presentations to audiences with all levels of apicultural expertise.
Four New Honey Bee Viruses Found (June 7, 2011)
Understanding Honey Bee Immune System Crucial to Battling Declining Honey Bee Population (May 26, 2011)
Insect Virus Researcher Michelle Flenniken Named Häagen-Dazs Postdoctoral Fellow (Aug. 6, 2008)