Kira Buttrey

I am a 3rd-year Bioengineering PhD student in the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Program, working in the lab of Prof. Dan Fletcher at Berkeley. I develop biophysical tools to characterize and perturb the cell surface with a particular focus on immune cell interactions in health and disease. Initially, I developed a compensation method for cell surface crowding in flow cytometry to improve antigen detection, reducing diagnostic false negatives. My current work also includes investigating the mechanisms and consequences of macrophage trogocytosis, or “cell-nibbling,” and protein exchange. I am ultimately motivated by research that can improve diagnostics and treatments for understudied diseases such as endometriosis. Outside of lab, I enjoy running in the Berkeley hills, storytelling, and learning new forms of visual art.