Marcelo B. Sztein

Marcelo B. Sztein, MD is a tenured Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). Since 1989 he has been a key leader within the Center for Vaccine Development (CVD), serving as Chief of the Cellular Immunology and Flow Cytometry Section, founder of the CVD Immunology Group, and—since 2010—Associate Director for Immunologic Research. He holds secondary appointments in the Departments of Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology and directs the CVD Flow & Mass Cytometry Core that supports campus-wide cutting-edge single-cell analysis.

Education & Training

• High School #4, Nicolás Avellaneda, Argentina — B.S., Biology, 1970
• University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine — M.D., 1976
• National Research Council, Argentina — Fellow, Immunology, 1976–1979
• National Institutes of Health — Visiting Fellow, 1979–1982
• George Washington University Medical Center — Research Fellow, Cancer Research Laboratories, 1982–1983

Research Focus

Dr. Sztein is an internationally recognized authority on the immunology of infectious diseases, with emphasis on mucosal and systemic immunity elicited by vaccines. His work deciphers human host responses to Salmonella Typhi/Paratyphi, Shigella, ETEC, Plasmodium falciparum, dengue virus, Ebola virus, H. pylori, and influenza. Using controlled human infection models, non-human primates, and novel organotypic intestinal models, his laboratory identifies correlates of protection, dissects multifunctional T-cell subsets (CD4⁺, CD8⁺, MAIT, regulatory T cells), and explores how the gut microbiome modulates vaccine-induced immunity.

Current projects under the NIH-funded Cooperative Center for Human Immunology (CCHI) integrate multi-omics, single-cell mass cytometry (CyTOF), and high-dimensional flow cytometry to accelerate rational vaccine design.

Recent Publication Trends

Between 2014 and 2016 Dr. Sztein’s group published >25 high-impact papers that collectively advance three major themes: (1) elucidating multifunctional T- and B-cell signatures associated with protection following typhoid and Shigella vaccination; (2) applying controlled human infection models to rigorously benchmark new vaccines; and (3) pioneering 3-D organotypic intestinal cultures and mass cytometry panels to study mucosal responses at single-cell resolution. These studies are shaping the next generation of enteric vaccines for global health.

Grants & Funding Leadership

• Principal Investigator, NIH U19-AI082655 “Mucosal and Systemic Immunity, Vaccines and Microbiota Interplay in Humans” (2014–2019)
• Principal Investigator, NIH R01-AI036525 “Immune Mechanisms of Protection in S. Typhi Vaccines” (2013–2018)
• PI Research Project 1, NIH U19-AI109776 “Immunoprophylactic Strategies to Control Emerging Enteric Infections” (2014–2019)
• PI of Immunology Core, NIH U19-AI110820 “Host, Pathogen, and the Microbiome” (2014–2019)
• Senior Immunologist, VTEU Contract HHSN2722013000221 (2013–2023)
• Laboratory PI, HHSN27200012 & HHSN27200010 cytokine/immune-phenotyping service contracts
• Co-Director of Immunology, T32-AI07524 Training Grant (2013–2018)

Laboratory & Core Facilities

Dr. Sztein directs the CVD Flow and Mass Cytometry Core, housing state-of-the-art BD LSR-II, Beckman-Coulter Astrios EQ cell sorter, Fluidigm CyTOF 1, and CyTOF Helios instruments. The core supports up to 19-parameter cell sorting and 35-plus-parameter mass cytometry, enabling investigators across UMSOM and collaborating institutions to perform advanced single-cell multi-omics studies under BSL-2/3 containment.