Anesthesiology Research

Dr. Gauguet received her M.D. and Ph.D. degrees at the Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel, Germany, from which she graduated summa cum laude in December 2001. Following completion of her fellowship in pediatric critical care in June 2010, Dr. Gauguet was appointed as Assistant in Critical Care Medicine at Children’s Hospital Boston and Instructor of Anesthesia, Department of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

Currently, Dr. Gauguet is investigating the pathogenesis of staphylococcal infections and immunotherapies of Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia with Dr. and Dr. Gregory Priebe. This project is supported by a K12 grant from the Pediatric critical care scientist development program that she was awarded in November 2010.

More specifically, Dr. Gauguet established a murine pneumonia model that closely mimics human disease. She is using this model to investigate different staphylococcal strains and mutants, as well as testing various mouse mutants deficient in certain cytokines or cytokine receptors. This model is also useful to study the effectiveness of a staphylococcal monoclonal antibody, as well as polyclonal antisera to various staphylococcal proteins.

Dr. Gauguet’s long-term goal of her current research project is to understand the mechanisms of protective immunity to Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia and to utilize this information to evaluate and produce an effective vaccine against this significant human pathogen.