Alejandro Aballay

Alejandro Aballay, Ph.D., is a Professor at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. His research focuses on the intersection of genetics, immunology, and neuroscience, investigating how the nervous system regulates immune responses against microbial pathogens.

• Departments: Genetics (MD Anderson), Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (UTHealth Houston)
• Key Research: Neural control of stress and immune pathways, neuroendocrine signaling in immunity, and mechanisms linking inflammation to diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s.

Scientific Contributions: Recent articles highlight discoveries in GPCR signaling, Wnt pathways, and transcriptional regulators that modulate immunity-longevity tradeoffs and infection resistance. His work employs Caenorhabditis elegans to uncover conserved mechanisms relevant to human health.