Marzena Pazgier

Dr. Marzena Pazgier is a tenured Professor in the Infectious Disease Division of the Department of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USU) School of Medicine. She holds additional appointments in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Emerging Infectious Disease and Molecular Cell Biology Graduate Programs. Previously, she was a faculty member at the Institute of Human Virology in the School of Medicine at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Dr. Pazgier earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Lodz University of Technology in Poland (1996-2001) and completed postdoctoral training in structural biology of infectious disease at the Macromolecular Crystallography Laboratory in the National Cancer Institute, NIH (2002-2007).

Her research program focuses on understanding molecular recognition mechanisms in human disease, with particular emphasis on structural biology approaches to combat HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2. She directs a substantial extramurally funded research program applying X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, and biochemical tools to develop new vaccines and therapeutics. Her work spans three major areas: antimicrobial action of defensins, HIV-1 research, and SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics.

Analysis of Dr. Pazgier's recent publications reveals strong focus on antibody engineering for HIV treatment, structural characterization of viral envelope proteins, and development of novel therapeutic approaches including CD4 mimetics and antibody-based interventions. Her work bridges basic structural biology with translational medical applications.

• ID2 immunogen for HIV-1 ADCC response (PCT/US2015/045940)
• Antibody-based therapeutic for HIV-1 (patent application number 63/209,192)
• Small molecule compound inhibitors targeting HIV-1 envelope

Dr. Pazgier leads multiple active research projects funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, including studies on antibody Fc-mediated protection, antiviral activity, and SARS-CoV-2 spike conformation. Her laboratory applies structural biology techniques to elucidate molecular mechanisms of disease and develop novel interventions for infectious diseases.