Sarah Wedemeyer
Sarah Wedemeyer is a third-year medical student in the (MD/PhD Program). She completed her dissertation research under the mentorship of Dr. Ann Griffith in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, & Molecular Genetics (MIMG) focusing on the impact of thymic stromal FGF21 signaling on age-associated T cell dysfunction. Her research, recently published in Nature Aging, demonstrated that constitutive thymic FGF21 signaling improved thymic T cell export during aging which mitigated declines in CD8 T cell immunity after influenza infection and reduced the incidence of peripheral autoimmunity in aged mice. Her work also revealed that FGF21 promotes dynamic regulation of mTORC1 and mTORC2 signaling in cortical thymic epithelial cells (cTECs) during aging to promote cTEC growth and maintenance. Her previous research experience is in the field of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling, where she studied the heterologous regulation of CXCR4 and CXCR5, two chemokine receptors implicated in many cancers. She is planning to apply to pediatrics residency programs with the goal of pursuing allergy/immunology fellowship training.
Hobbies/Interests
Classic sitcoms, jazz music, baking, pilates
Research Topic
Changes in immune function during aging
Why I chose MD/PhD
I chose MD/PhD training because I want to become a leader in both medicine and science to advance the field of immunology. I want to not only care for patients with chronic disease, but also bring new therapies forward to improve their quality of life.
Post-bac work or other affiliations
Research Technologist at the Medical College of Wisconsin (2017-2019)
Education
B.S., Chemistry, Mount Mary University, 2017
Awards
2016 - Anthony S. Wu Outstanding Chemistry Student Award, Mount Mary University
2022-2023 - T32 Graduate Research in Immunology Program (GRIP) Scholar - T32 AI138944
2023 - Trainee Abstract Award, American Association of Immunology, Immunology2023, Washington, D.C.
2025 - GSBS Spring 2025 Travel Award Recipient - $1500 award to present at the 2025 AAI Conference in Honolulu, HI.
2025 AAI Trainee Poster Award, American Association of Immunology, Immunology2025, Honolulu, HI
2025 STX-MSTP 3MT 1st place winner
2024-2025 Chrysalis Project participant, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology
2024 AAI Trainee Abstract Award, American Association of Immunology, Immunology2024, Chicago, IL
2024 STX-MSTP 3MT 1st place winner
Publications
Semwal, M. K., Hester, A. K., Xiao, Y., Udeaja, C., Cepeda, S., Verschelde, J. S., II, Jones, N., Wedemeyer, S. A., Emtage, S., Wimberly, K., & Griffith, A. V. (2022). Redox status regulates autophagy in thymic stromal cells and promotes T cell tolerance. In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Vol. 119, Issue 40). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Wedemeyer, M., Mahn, S., Getschman, A., Crawford, K., Peterson, F., Marchese, A., McCorvy, J., & Volkman, B. (2020). Journal of Biological Chemistry. 295(40), 13927-13939.
Caballero, A., Mahn, S., Ali, M., Rogers, M., Marchese, A. (2019). Journal of Biological Chemistry. 294(20), 8023-8036.
English, E., Mahn, S., Marchese, A. (2018). Journal of Biological Chemistry. 293(29), 11470-11480.
Wedemeyer SA, Griffith AV. (2025). Thymic B cells in aging and autoimmune disease. Frontiers in Immunology; 16:1595805. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1595805
Wedemeyer SA, Jones NE, Raza IGA, Green FM, Xiao Y, Semwal MK, Garza AK, Archuleta KS, Wimberly KL, Venables T, Holländer GA, Griffith AV. (2025). Paracrine FGF21 dynamically modules mTOR signaling to regulate thymus function across the lifespan. Nature Aging; 5(4), 588-606. PMCID: PMC12003089
