Immunology and medical microbiology student presents COVID-19 antibody research at WV-INBRE Symposium

Allison Kidd, a junior in the Immunology and Medical Microbiology (IMMB) program and former Health Sciences & Technology Academy (HSTA) student, presented her research at the West Virginia IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence’s 23rd Annual Summer Research Symposium, held at the DoubleTree Hotel & Conference Center in Huntington, West Virginia.

Kidd joined undergraduate students and high school science educators from across the state to share findings from extensive biomedical research conducted during the 2024–25 academic year and summer.

Working under the mentorship of Meenal Elliott, PhD, Kidd focused her research on polymeric IgA antibodies in patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19.

WV-INBRE is a federally funded program that offers grants to faculty at smaller, primarily undergraduate colleges in West Virginia for lab renovations, research equipment, and salary support. It also provides paid biomedical research internships for undergraduate students at WVU, Marshall University and other primarily undergraduate colleges in the state, with some opportunities reserved for former HSTA students.

HSTA is a mentoring program that helps participating high school students in West Virginia enter and succeed in STEM+M-based undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

To learn more about the IMMB program, visit medicine.wvu.edu/immunology-and-medical-microbiology/.