Oleg S. Targoni, Ph.D.

Director, CRO

Personal Statement I got exposed to, and intrigued by immune monitoring during my postdoctoral training at Case Western, in Drs. Lehmanns’ laboratory. Working on experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model for multiple sclerosis (MS), and enabled by the ELISPOT technology we developed in that lab, we were the first to trace the autoreactive T cells in the entire body of the mice, and to study their effector classes and repertoire selections. I joined the Lehmanns when they started CTL and helped set up its CRO operation because I believed in the need to translate lessons learned from animal models into studies of humans. It is gratifying today to do exactly that: helping our clients with their immune monitoring needs pursing pre-clinical and clinical trials.

Education and Training

I received my M.S. from the University of Kharkiv, Ukraine , and my PhD in Immunology from Moscow State University, Russia. As a post-doctoral fellow, I worked in the autoimmunity field.

Publications
  • Moldovan I, Targoni O, Zhang W, Sundararaman S, Lehmann PV. How frequently are predicted peptides actually recognized by CD8 cells? Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy. 2016, 65, 847-855.
  • Alexey Y. Karulin, Kinga Karacsony, Wenji Zhang, Oleg S. Targoni, Ioana Moldovan, Marcus Dittrich, Srividya Sundararaman, and Paul V. Lehmann. ELISPOTs produced by CD8 and CD4 cells follow Log Normal size distribution permitting objective counting. Cells. 2015, 4, 56-70.
  • Zhang W, Moldovan I, Targoni OS, Subbramanian RA, Lehmann PV. How much of virus-specific CD8 T cell reactivity is detected with a peptide pool when compared to individual peptides? Viruses. 2012, 4, 2636-2649.
  • Schlingmann TR, Shive CL, Targoni OS, Tary-Lehmann M, Lehmann PV. Increased per cell IFN-gamma productivity indicates recent in vivo activation of T cells. Cell Immunol. 2009, 258, 131-7.
  • Kawalec-Carroll JS, Hetherington VJ, Dockery DS, Shive C, Targoni OS, Lehmann PV, Nadler D, Prins D. Immunogenicity of unprocessed and photooxidized bovine and human osteochondral grafts in collagen-sensitive mice. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2006, 7, 32.
  • Hetherington V.J., Kawalec J.S., Dockery D.S., Targoni O.S, Lehmann P.V. and Nadler D. Immunologic testing of xeno-derived osteochondral grafts using peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy human donors. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2005, 6,36.
  • Hofstetter H.H., Targoni O.S., Karulin A.Y., Hesse M.D., Gaur A., Forsthuber T.G. and Lehmann P.V. Does the frequency and avidity spectrum of the neuroantigen-specific T cells in the blood mirror the autoimmune process in the brain of mice undergoing EAE? J. Immunol. 2005, 174, 4598-4605.
  • Guerkov R.E.M., Targoni O.S., Kreher C.R., Boehm B.O., Herrera M.T., Tary-Lehmann M., Lehmann P.V. and Schwander S.K. Detection of low frequency antigen-specific IL-10-producing CD4+ T cells via ELISPOT in PBMC: cognate vs. non-specific production of the cytokine. J. Immunol. Methods. 2003, 279, 111-121
  • Gottwein, J.M., Blanchard, T.B., Targoni, O.S., Eisenberg, J.G.C., Zargorski, B.M., Trezza, R.P., Redline, R.V., Nedrud, J.G., Tary-Lehmann, M., Lehmann, P.V. and Czinn, S.J. Systemic vaccination inducing type-2 T cell-mediated immunity prevents Helicobacter infection. J. Infectious Diseases. 2001, 184. 308-314.
  • O.S., Targoni, J. Baus, H.H. Hofstetter, M.D. Hesse, A.Y. Karulin, B.O. Boehm, T.G. Forsthuber and P.V. Lehmann. (2001). Frequencies of neuroantigen-specific T cells in the central nervous system versus the immune periphery during the course of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. J. Immunol. 2001, 166, 4757-4764.
  • Targoni, O.S., Tary-Lehmann, M. and Lehmann, P.V. Prevention of murine EAE by oral hydrolytic enzyme treatment. J. Autoimmun. 1999, 12, 191-198.
  • Lehmann, P.V., Targoni, O.S., and Forsthuber, T.G. Shifting T-cell activation thresholds in autoimmunity and determinant spreading. Immunol. Rev., 1998, 164:53-61.
  • Targoni, O.S. and Lehmann, P.V. (1998). Endogenous myelin basic protein inactivates the high avidity T cell repertoire. J. Exp. Med. 1998, 187, 2055-2065.
  • Chu, R.S., Targoni, O.S., Kreig, A.M., Lehmann, P.V. and Harding, C.V. CpG Oligodeoxynucleotides act as adjuvant that switch on Th1 immunity. J. Exp. Med. 1997, 186, 1623-1631.
  • Danilkovich, A., Freze, K., Romashkova, J., Valujskikh, A., Makarov, E., Targoni O.S., Makarova, N. and Kushch, A. Influence of synthetic peptides, corresponding to fragments of the human alpha-2 interferon molecule, on the proliferation of lymphoblastoid cells in vitro. Growth inhibition and receptor binding. FEBS Lett., 1995, 7, 369.
  • Danilkovitch A.V., Freze K.V., Targoni O. S., Karulin A., Yu, A., Shevalier, A.F., Gusev, M.V. and Sukhikh, G.T. Inhibition of interleukin-2-dependent proliferation of human lymphocytes and expression of interleukin-2 receptors by synthetic peptide fragments of interferon alpha-2. Biull. Eksp. Biol.Med., 1994, 1, 65.
  • Danilkovich A.V, Freze K.V., Targoni O.S., Karulin A., Yu, A., Shevalier A.F., Gusev M.V. and Sukhikh, G.T. (1994) Suppresion of mitogen-stimulated proliferation of human lymphocytes in vitro by synthetic peptides-fragments of alpha-2 interferon. Biull. Eksp.Biol. Med.,1994, 1, 72
  • Utevsky, A.M., Chuyko, V.A., Karpenko, L.G., Shchyrova, V.A. and Targoni, O.S. The effect of dimexide on the incorporation of C14-aminoacids into proteins and the activity of adenylate cyclase in thyroid gland frozen without cryoprotectant. Cryobiology, 1988, 4, 39.