Ellen Hsu

Ellen Hsu, PhD is a Professor at Downstate Medical Center's Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, specializing in antibody diversification and expression. Her research focuses on the evolutionary origins of the adaptive immune system, particularly through studies of sharks and other cartilaginous fish, which represent the earliest chordates with TCR, MHC, and Ig genes.

• Expertise in somatic hypermutation mechanisms
• Investigates ancient origins of V(D)J recombination
• Studies immunoglobulin gene regulation in non-mammalian systems

Her work reveals unique features of shark Ig loci, including germline-assembled sequences and tandem mutation patterns during hypermutation. This research challenges mammalian-centric theories of immunoglobulin regulation and provides insights into the evolutionary constraints shaping antigen receptor gene organization.

Scientific Service Roles:

• Editorial Advisory Board, Developmental and Comparative Immunology
• Member, Expert Scientific Council, Protein Information Resource
• Reviewer for National Science Foundation and NIH

Key personnel in her lab include Laboratory Manager Karolina Malecek and researchers Victor Lee and Julie Brandman.