Predoctoral Research Fellows

PhD Candidate (Macian Lab)
Undergraduate Institution: Boston University 
Research: The role of the transcription factor NFAT in several mechanisms of T cell tolerance. Recent focus is on the role of NFAT1 in T cell exhaustion, a state of decreased T cell responsiveness caused by chronic infections.

Brandi Freeman

PhD Candidate (Desriuisseaux Lab)
Undergraduate Institution:  Bowling Green State University
Research: Mechanisms of disease and neurological salvage relating to cerebral malaria and neurological complications of cerebral malaria.

Lizandra Jimenez

PhD Candidate (Prystowsky Lab)
Graduate Institution: Adelphi University
Research: The impact of miR-375 expression on the invasive properties of HNSCC cell lines and the identification its specific target genes and altered signaling pathways in HNSCC.

Henry Shikani

PhD Candidate (Desruisseaux Lab)
Undergraduate Institution:  Georgetown University
Research: Effect of malarial infection on neuronal metabolism, specifically the parasite's effect on major host survival and apoptotic pathways in neurons and glial cells. Also exploring several possible drug treatments, such as growth factors and compounds which target specific proteins in host survival pathways, in conjunction with anti-malarial drugs to determine whether altering those pathways can be neuroprotective.

Sanjeeta Jayakar

PhD Candidate (Belbin Lab)
Undergraduate Institution: SUNY Geneseo
Research: Genes that may contribute to invasion in head and neck cancer. Genes that are over-expressed in invasive patient tumors and that have a possible function in cell motility are tested for a direct effect on invasion. The lab is also investigating a gene identified in genome-wide methylation studies, EDN3, for its role in invasion.