Anita Sil, Ph.D., M.D.
Principal Investigator
Romina Abbasian
Assistant Specialist
My study focuses on identifying the functional and biochemical characteristics of Histoplasma's virulence factors known as knottin proteins during macrophage infection
Nebat Ali
Graduate Student
I'm interested in investigating the regulatory networks that govern virulence and morphology in Histoplasma capsulatum.
Yuzhou Chen
Staff Research Associate
I am investigating the pathogenesis of Coccidioides through a family of secreted proteases.
Apoorva Dabholkar, Ph.D.
Associate Specialist
I am studying the interaction between host macrophages and the pathogenic fungus, Coccidioides with Jane in the lab.
Sarah Heater
Graduate Student
My research focuses on genome instability and how it relates to morphology, virulence, and gene expression in Histoplasma species.
Christina Homer, M.D., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
I am interested in understanding virulence factors in Coccidioides, the causative agent of Valley Fever, and how this pathogenic fungus interacts with host immune cells to cause serious disseminated infection in some human hosts.
Murat Can Kalem, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
I am exploring post-transcriptional mechanisms underlying temperature sensing and morphological transitions in thermally dimorphic fungi. I am hunting for eukaryotic RNA thermometers and temperature-dependent RNA binding protein functions while building a bridge between RNA biology and medical mycology.
Anna Morrison
Graduate Student
I am investigating the effects of acute temperature shifts on the morphology and transcriptional profile of Histoplasma capsulatum.
Elena Ochoa
Staff Research Associate
I am investigating how proteases affect the virulence and cell morphology of Coccidioides, the fungal respiratory pathogen that causes Valley Fever.
Rosa Rodriguez, Ph.D.
Specialist
I'm studying how a family of small secreted effectors manipulate macrophages during Histoplasma infection.
Alyssa Simangan
Lab Assistant
I manage media, glassware, and assist with various operations in the lab.
Jane Symington, M.D., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
I am investigating the interactions between macrophages and Coccidioides, the cause of Coccidioidomycosis/Valley Fever.
Mark Voorhies, Ph.D.
Professional Researcher
I provide bioinformatics support for the lab and maintain Histobase, a database of functional annotations for the Histoplasma genomes. I am interested in the evolution of temperature-dependent regulation of morphology in the Onygenales and in the parallel emergence of pathogenesis in these fungi.