Galveston National Laboratory
Center for Biodefense & Emerging Infectious Diseases
Sealy Center for Vaccine Development
Center for Tropical Diseases
McLaughlin Endowment for Infection and Immunity |
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Faculty Members of the IHII (A - C)
Members of the Institute for Human Infections & Immunity are University of Texas Medical Branch faculty actively engaged in the study of infectious diseases and immunity.
Alphabetical Listing of IHII Members: A - C | D - L | M - R | S - Z
Patricia Aguilar, PhD
Pathogenesis, vaccine development, virologyView Department of Pathology profile » My main research interest is to better understand the mechanisms that enable emerging viruses to evade host immune responses and cause disease, and to identify cellular factors that contribute to viral infection. The main research goal is to unravel the highly complex host-pathogen interaction and identify novel prophylactic and therapeutic strategies to combat these viral pathogens.
IHII center affiliations: CBEID
Judith Aronson, MD
Clinical, pathogenesis, virologyView Department of Pathology profile » I have a long-standing interest in the study of pathogenesis of infectious diseases, particularly experimental animal models of acute viral diseases including viral hemorrhagic fevers and arbovirus encephalitides. Because of my training as a pathologist, I am most interested in disease mechanisms and tissue-based studies of infectious agent localization and host responses.
IHII center affiliations: CBEID, CTD
Dennis Bente, DVM, PhD
Virology, pathogenesis, viral hemorrhagic fevers, tick-borne viruses, vector biology, immunology, vaccine developmentView Department of Microbiology & Immunology profile » My research focuses on tick-borne hemorrhagic fever viruses, including their pathogenesis, ecology, tick-virus interaction, and vaccine development. My main research interest is to better understand the mechanisms that enable tick-borne viruses to cause disease and to study the host-vector-pathogen interface.
IHII center affiliations: CBEID, SCVD
Suresh Bhavnani, PhD
Biomedical informatics, network visualizationView Institute for Translational Science profile » By using my experience in network visualization and analysis, I collaborate with researchers at the Institute for Human Infections and Immunity and the Galveston National Laboratory to analyze complex data related to infectious diseases, in addition to developing new methods that accelerate the translation of discoveries into effective treatments.
Darren Boehning, PhD
Immunology, pathogenesis, structural biology/imagingView Department of Neuroscience & Cell Biology profile » Our laboratory studies the mechanisms of calcium-dependent cell death in lymphocytes and other cell types. Our major focus is how activation of the death receptor Fas engages the calcium release machinery, and subsequent downstream activation of the apoptotic program. We are also identifying novel anti-apoptotic therapeutics targeting these pathways.
Gavin Bowick, PhD
Virology, immunology, vaccine developmentView Department of Microbiology & Immunology profile » My research focuses on arboviruses, including mechanisms of emergence from enzootic cycles, evolution, mosquito-virus interactions, and vaccine development. My research approaches include reverse genetics to identify adaptive mutations that mediate host range changes, and field studies in Africa and Latin America to understand the ecology and epidemiology of emerging arboviruses.
IHII center affiliations: CBEID, CTD
Allan Brasier, MD
Virology, systems biologyView Institute for Translational Sciences profile » My research focuses on the dynamic control of the innate immune response with particular emphasis on the NFkB signaling pathway. Specifically we are applying quantitative proteomics, chromatin immunoprecipitation-next generation sequencing, and dynamic imaging to understand the regulation and inhibition of the network in response to viruses and dsRNA.
Alexander Bukreyev, PhD
Antivirals, immunology, pathogenesis, vaccine development, virologyView Department of Pathology profile » Research in our laboratory focuses on development of vaccines against filoviruses Ebola and Marburg; investigation of mechanisms of their high pathogenicity; investigation of contribution of specific proteins and their functional domains using reverse genetics (i.e., generation of recombinant viruses from DNA); development small-molecule antivirals.
IHII center affiliations: CBEID, SCVD
Miguel Cabada, MD, MSc
View Department of Internal Medicine profile » Dr. Cabada’s research interests focus on neglected tropical diseases, their impact in impoverished groups, and new diagnostics methods for tropical illnesses. He works in Cusco, Peru, and heads the UPCH-UTMB Collaborative Research Center – Cusco. Currently, he is studying the impact of fascioliasis on children in impoverished Peruvian villages and working on developing new diagnostic methods for the infection.
Alejandro Castellanos-Gonzalez, PhD
View Department of Internal Medicine profile » Research interests include molecular biology and immunology of intestinal infections caused by protozoan and helminthes. Current projects at the lab: "Gene Expression in Human Intestines in Response to Cryptosporidium Infection" and "Point-of-care diagnostic tests for intestinal protozoa."
Ashok Chopra, PhD, CSc
Bacteriology, immunology, pathogenesis, vaccine developmentView Department of Microbiology & Immunology profile » My research focuses on bacterial select agents and GI pathogens with specific emphasis on bacterial-host cell interaction, virulence factors/mechanisms associated with bacterial virulence, bases of molecular pathogenesis, development of live-attenuated and subunit vaccines, animal model development, and testing of new therapeutics and vaccines in animal models.
IHII center affiliations: CBEID, CTD, SCVD
Alphabetical Listing of IHII Members: A - C | D - L | M - R | S - Z