Eillen Tecle

Eillen Tecle, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Her research focuses on mechanisms of innate epithelial immune responses against intracellular pathogens, using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system. She leads the Tecle Laboratory, which investigates purine metabolism and host glycobiology in microsporidia infections. Key areas include purine recycling pathways (e.g., pnp-1 and adah-1) and heparan sulfate proteoglycans' roles in pathogen entry.

Dr. Tecle completed her PhD at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Her work integrates genetic, biochemical, and cellular approaches to study host-pathogen interactions, with applications to human diseases caused by microsporidia. She collaborates with institutions such as the Center for Immunology and the Center for Infectious Disease Research at MCW.

Her lab’s research has been published in journals like iScience, PLoS Pathogens, and Genetics. Current projects explore how host glycans facilitate microsporidia infection and how purine metabolites regulate immune responses. No specific grants or awards are listed, though her publications reflect sustained research activity.

Dr. Tecle’s lab is part of the Medical College of Wisconsin’s microbiology and immunology community, contributing to broader efforts in infectious disease and innate immunity research.