Laura Solt

Laura Solt, Ph.D.

Associate Professor; Associate Dean, Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences

Department: SR-IM-SOLT LAB
Business Phone: (561) 228-2295
Business Email: lsolt1@ufl.edu

On This Page

About Laura Solt

Laura A. Solt, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at the Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology in Jupiter, Florida (formerly Scripps Florida). She received her B.A. from Boston College, her Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Pennsylvania, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Scripps Research Institute’s Jupiter, Florida campus (Scripps Florida). She started her independent laboratory at Scripps Florida in 2013 to gain further insight into the transcriptional regulation of nuclear receptors and their ligand(s) to better understand signaling pathways that govern Th17 cell homeostasis vs. pathogenicity and disease development. Her lab also works in close collaboration with medicinal chemists to design and develop small molecule ligands to nuclear receptors to further probe their functions and evaluate their therapeutic potential. Using these approaches, her lab has described roles for RORa and the REV-ERBs in Th17 cell development and developed synthetic ligands to these receptors to target Th17-mediated chronic inflammation and autoimmunity. Insight into the transcriptional regulation of nuclear receptors and their ligand(s) function is essential to comprehend the signaling pathways that govern Th17 cell homeostasis vs. pathogenicity as well as the rational design of therapeutics for specific disease indications.

Additional Positions:
  1. Associate Dean, Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences

    2023 – Current · Scripps Research

  2. Associate Professor, Department of Immunology and Microbiology

    2022 – Current · The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology

  3. Associate Professor, Department of Immunology and Microbiology

    2022 – Current · The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology

  4. Associate Professor, Department of Immunology and Microbiology

    2018 – 2022 · Scripps Research

  5. Associate Professor, Department of Immunology and Microbiology

    2018 – 2022 · Scripps Research

  6. Assistant Professor, Immunology and Microbiology

    2017 – 2018 · Scripps Research

  7. Assistant Professor, Molecular Therapeutics

    2013 – 2017 · Scripps Research

  8. Postdoctoral Fellow

    2009 – 2013 · Scripps Research

Related Links:

Accomplishments

  1. Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards

    National Institutes of Health

Research Profile

The underlying theme of the research performed in the Solt laboratory is to understand the biologically relevant roles of nuclear receptors, a superfamily of ligand regulated transcription factors, in the immune system. Our lab uses a combination of molecular biology, genetic, and chemical biology approaches coupled with mouse models of autoimmunity and chronic inflammation to study how different nuclear receptors’ expression, function, and activity affects disease. As ligand-regulated transcription factors, nuclear receptors are excellent therapeutic targets for the treatment of a variety of diseases. Therefore, we also work in collaboration with medicinal chemists to develop small molecule ligands to these receptors to further probe their function in vitro and in vivo. Each receptor is unique and can have ligand- and/or tissue-specific effects. Thus, we aim to gain a better understanding of nuclear receptor activity in tissue and disease-specific contexts to determine their therapeutic potential and for more rational drug design.

Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID)

0000-0001-8807-0342

Areas of Interest

  • Autoimmune Disease
  • Cancer Immunotherapy
  • Immunometabolism
  • Mucosal immunology
  • Neuroimmunology

Publications

Academic Articles

Grants

Education

  1. Postdoctoral Fellow

    The Scripps Research Institute – Florida

  2. Ph.D. in Immunology

    University of Pennsylvania

  3. Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology

    Boston College

Contact Details

Phones:
Business:
(561) 228-2295
Emails:
Business:
lsolt1@ufl.edu
Addresses:
Business Mailing:
Location C227
130 SCRIPPS WAY BLDG 2C1
JUPITER FL 33458
Business Street:
120 Scripps Way
Jupiter FL 33458