Immunology and Microbiology

Faculty

• Rosa M. Andrade, rmandra1@uci.edu, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
  Understanding the Redox homeostasis of Toxoplasma gondii to find new therapeutic targets
• Elizabeth N. Bess, elizabeth.bess@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  Uncovering chemical reactions encoded in the gut microbiome to understand and treat human disease
• Thomas Burke, tpburke@uci.edu, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
  We study bacterial pathogenesis and the host innate immune response to infection. We’re also targeting innate immunity as a strategy to treat cancer.
• Nir Drayman, nirdra@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  Studies how cell-to-cell variability affects viral infection outcomes using technologies such as live-imaging, machine learning, single-cell RNA-sequencing and microfluidics
• Philip L. Felgner, pfelgner@uci.edu, Physiology & Biophysics
  The UCI Vaccine R&D Center is supported by the NIH to develop vaccine and vaccine adjuvants for infectious diseases. There is an emphasis on Pandemic Preparedness. The lab is equiped with all of the science, equipment and know-how to construct and test lipid nanoparticle (LNP) vaccines of the kind that are in the COVID vaccines from Moderna and BioNTech. The same mRNA/LNP technology developed for the COVID vaccine is also applicable to gene therapy and gene editing.
• Don Forthal, dnfortha@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
  My laboratory focuses on understanding how antibodies interact with cells bearing Fc receptors (such as macrophages, monocytes, NK cells) and how such interactions affect viral infection. We are interested both in ways that antibodies protect from infection and in ways that antibodies participate in immunopathology.
• Matthew Griffin, griffin@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  Our lab focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying host-microbiota interactions during cancer progression and treatment.
• Matthew Arthur Kalani Inlay, minlay@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  The biology, development, and therapeutic use of hematopoietic stem cells in blood and marrow transplantation, and the role of the immune system in graft tolerance and graft-versus-host disease.
• Orkide Koyuncu, okoyuncu@hs.uci.edu, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
  In the Koyuncu lab, we study virus infections of the nervous system with a focus on local and global changes in neuronal biology during alpha herpesvirus infection
• Thomas E. Lane, tlane@uci.edu, Neurobiology & Behavior
  The focus of the laboratory is to evaluate underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms contributing to neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and repair in pre-clinical models of neurologic disease.
• Haoping Liu, h4liu@uci.edu, Biological Chemistry
  We study the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans, Candida-host cell interaction, mechanisms of pathogenesis and drug resistance.
• Melissa Lodoen, mlodoen@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  My research program is focused on the innate immunity, neuroinflammation, and host-pathogen interactions during infection with Toxoplasma gondii.
• Francesco Marangoni, f.marangoni@uci.edu,  Physiology & Biophysics
  Study of immune regulation using functional intravital microscopy
• Matthew Marsden, mdmarsde@hs.uci.edu, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
  My research is primarily focused on HIV cure efforts and involves molecular analysis of latent HIV together with cellular and animal models of HIV infection.
• Michael McClelland, mmcclell@uci.edu, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
  High-throughput genetics, evolution of Salmonella pathogenesis; bacterial therapy for cancer; cancer genomics and prognostic
• Naomi Morrissette, nmorriss@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  Tubulin and microtubules, tubulin targeting drugs in protozoan parasites, tubulin mutations
• Dequina Nicholas, dequinaa@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  We study chronic inflammation in type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome.
• Shivashankar Othy, sothy@uci.edu Physiology & Biophysics
  Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Immune Regulation: Decoding Neuro-Immune Interactions, Vaccine Mechanisms, and Mechanosignaling in Immune System
• Eric Perlman, eric.pearlman@uci.edu, Physiology & Biophysics
  Innate immunity to pathogenic bacteria and fungi
• Abraham J. Qavi, aqavi@uci.edu, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
  Development of innovative diagnostic technologies for (re)-emerging pathogens.
• Albert Siryaporn, asirya@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  Bacterial pathogenesis, host-microbe interactions, antimicrobials, and biofilm development
• Christine Suetterlin, suetterc@uci.edu, Developmental & Cell Biology
  We are studying the obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, which causes wide-spread STI, with focus on its developmental cycle and interactions with host cell organelles.
• Ming Tan, mingt@uci.edu, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
  Infectious Disease and Bacterial Pathogenesis Research on the intracellular bacterium Chlamydia: focus on gene regulation, host-pathogen interactions
• Roberto Tinoco, rtinoco@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  We investigate T cell immune responses against viral infections and cancers.
• E. R. Chulie Ulloa, chulie.ulloa@uci.edu, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
  We investigate novel therapeutic strategies (e.g., immune-based therapies and drug-repurposing) to treat drug-tolerant or -resistant bacterial pathogens.
• Armando Villalta, villalts@uci.edu, Physiology & Biophysics
  The regulation of immune cell and tissue progenitor interactions in skeletal muscle degenerative and autoimmune disorders
• Lisa Wagar, lwagar@hs.uci.edu, Physiology & Biophysics 
  Translational human immunology, adaptive immunity, organoids, vaccines and infectious diseases
• Craig M. Walsh, cwalsh@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  T cell tolerance, autoimmunity, stem cells, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease
• Travis Wiles, travis.wiles@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  Wiles Lab research focuses on the form and function of microbiomes, the ecology and evolution of antibiotic resistance, and immune sensing of gut bacterial communities.
• Katherine Xue, k.xue@uci.edu,Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  The Xue lab studies how microbes interact and evolve in complex communities like the human gut microbiome using a combination of experimental and computational techniques.

Faculty – Secondary Affiliation

• Remi Buisson, rbuisson@uci.edu, Biological Chemistry
  The ongoing research program in the laboratory focuses on unexplored aspects of cellular transcription and translation regulation associated with viral infections and DNA damage.
• Minji Byun, byunm1@uci.edu, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
  Epigenetic modulator dysfunction in human developmental and immune disorders
• Karina S. Cramer, cramerk@uci.edu, Neurobiology & Behavior
  Our lab studies molecular and cellular mechanisms needed for assembly of neural circuits. We are currently focused on axon guidance mechanisms and on the roles of glial cells.
• Aimee Edinger, aedinger@uci.edu, Developmental & Cell Biology
  Understanding endolysosomal trafficking and sphingolipid biology and translating these discoveries into new therapies for cancer, obesity, and other diseases
• David Fruman, dfruman@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  The focus of research in the Fruman Lab is targeted therapies to modulate signaling and metabolism in lymphocytes and leukemia cells.
• Paul Gershon, pgershon@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  Mechanistic and structural characterization of vaccinia viral proteins, with an emphasis on specific mRNA synthetic and modification enzymes, using mass spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and crystallography
• Celia Goulding, celia.goulding@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  We are deciphering iron acquisition in Mycobacterium tuberculosis informed by structural and chemical biology, and proteomics. We are also working on contact-dependent growth inhibition systems (CDI), and the structural basis of its mechanism of action.
• Chris Halbrook, chris.halbrook@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  My lab is primarily focused on understanding mechanisms that support cancer development and resistance to therapy.
• Allon Hochbaum, hochbaum@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  Structural biology and biochemistry of bacterial cytochrome polymers; metabolism and metabolic heterogeneity in bacterial populations and communities.
• Rongsheng Jin, r.jin@uci.edu, Physiology & Biophysics
  Structure and function of bacterial toxins and receptors; synaptic proteins; protein complexes; protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions; X-ray crystallography; Cryo-EM
• Barbara Jusiak, bjusiak@uci.edu, Physiology & Biophysics
  My lab combines mammalian synthetic biology and fruit fly (Drosophila) models to study cancer-host interactions and to engineer immune cells against cancer.
• Young Jik Kwon, kwonyj@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  Gene therapy, Nanomedicine, Cancer vaccines, Cell therapy
• Devon A. Lawson, dalawson@uci.edu, Physiology & Biophysics
  Cellular, molecular and genomic mechanisms of breast cancer metastasis
• Han Li, han.li@uci.edu, Biological Chemistry
  Engineering of enzymes and microbes for health, sustainability, and environment.
• Anthony D. Long, tdlong@uci.edu, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
  Population genetics, the genetics of complex traits, the genetics of adaptation, and bioinformatics
• Ivan Marazzi, imarazzi@uci.edu, Biological Chemistry
  The Marazzi Laboratory studies epigenetic and chromatin-mediated control of gene expression in the context of the cellular response to pathogens or cellular differentiation.
• Selma Masri, smasri@uci.edu, Biological Chemistry
  Research in the Masri lab is aimed at understanding the relationship between disruption of circadian rhythms and tumorigenesis, with a major focus on immunology, metabolism and stem cell biology.
• Reggie McNulty, rmcnulty@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  Macromolecular assemblies in inflammation and cancer using Cryo-EM and other approaches
• Haik Mkhikian, hmkhikia@uci.edu, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
  We study 1) how glycans regulate cell-surface biology, 2) the dysregulation of glycosylation in immune aging, and 3) the development of new methodologies/tools for glycobiology
• Benjamin Morehouse, b.morehouse@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  Studying the evolution and diversification of innate immune signaling systems using biochemical and structural methods. Interested in cyclic nucleotides and chemical defenses
• Pratik Shah, pratik.shah@uci.edu, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
  Develops novel multimodal AI and computational techniques to investigate the molecular mechanisms of disease
• Yongsheng Shi, yongshes@uci.edu, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
  Our laboratory studies the mechanism and regulation of mRNA processing in development and in pathogen-host interactions.
• Katrine Whiteson, katrine@uci.edu, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
  The Whiteson lab studies human associated microbial and viral communities. We use metagenomics, metabolomics, microbiology and bioinformatics to answer questions about how microbes and viruses (especially phages!) affect human health.
• Xiangmin Xu, xiangmix@uci.edu, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
  Neural circuits, brain diseases, Viral genetic tool development
• Alvin Yu, alviny6@uci.edu, Physiology & Biophysics
  My lab uses multiscale computational techniques to investigate the molecular mechanisms of disease.