Grantee Spotlight
Clara Mariencheck is a PhD Candidate in the Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology at the George Washington University. Her research explores primate genetics, immunogenetics, and sociality. She received a Leakey Foundation grant in 2024 for her project, “How an extra X chromosome may enhance immunity.”
How did the immune system evolve? Why do women often have stronger immune systems than men? Clara Mariencheck is looking into differences in immune responses by examining the genetics of the primate immune system. Her research, supported by The Leakey Foundation, focuses on genes found on the X chromosome. Through this work, Mariencheck hopes to understand the mechanisms underlying the “immunity gap” between females and males. This work may have important ramifications for our knowledge of human evolution and health.
Mariencheck’s interest in primate genetics began in college. “I always loved the natural sciences as a child, but didn’t realize that there was an option for a career in research until I went to college,” she says. During her undergraduate studies, she worked in the Primate Genetics and Molecular Ecology Lab with Dr. Emily Wroblewski, who studies primate immunogenetics. This experience sparked Mariencheck’s passion for research and led her to pursue a PhD under Dr. Brenda Bradley in the Primate Genomics Lab at the George Washington University.
Exploring the primate immune system
By combining molecular data with behavioral ecology and computational genomics, Mariencheck aims to address long-standing questions about the evolution and maintenance of the primate immune system. Her new project will characterize variation in chimpanzees for about 50 X-linked genes involved in immunity and disease susceptibility.
The Leakey Foundation grant was critical for Mariencheck’s project. “I was elated when I found out about my Leakey Foundation grant,” she recalls. “I needed the funding in order to do the most exciting component of my project, which is genotyping the biological samples from the wild chimpanzee populations at Gombe National Park. Without this funding, the research and the genomic data on the wild chimpanzees would not be possible.”
Mariencheck’s research offers an evolutionary perspective on the genetic aspects of our immune systems. The insights from her study could significantly impact our understanding of human health, especially regarding sex differences in immune responses. “Understanding immunological challenges is crucial for both human public health and animal care,” she notes. “This study will provide an evolutionary context and comparisons with our closest relatives to better understand the genetics of human immunity.”
Mariencheck adds, “The X chromosome itself is relatively understudied in the world of human and nonhuman primate genetics. Any insight into it could help inform us on how immune systems, aspects of reproduction, and sociality evolved.”
