Michele Kutzler

Michele Kutzler, PhD, is the Associate Dean for Faculty and a Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology at Drexel University College of Medicine. She holds affiliations with the Research & Scholarship Committee of the Group on Faculty Affairs, Association of American Medical Colleges. Her research focuses on translational vaccinology, immunology, and infectious diseases, particularly HIV and Clostridium difficile, with an emphasis on DNA vaccine development.

Education: PhD in Microbiology from Temple University School of Medicine (2001).

Research Interests: Her laboratory develops DNA vaccines targeting mucosal immunity, including HIV and C. difficile. Key areas include optimizing antigen delivery methods (e.g., electroporation), chemokine adjuvants, and understanding immune responses in immunocompromised populations. Her work has advanced mucosal vaccine strategies and contributed to understanding opioid-induced immune suppression.

Collaborations and Grants: Works with institutions like the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pittsburgh on HIV and C. difficile vaccines. Research highlights include a 100% effective C. difficile vaccine in animal models (2014).

Labs/Teams: Leads a research group at Drexel with staff like Albert Sylvester and students Kush Modi, Shikata Mudhaka, and Amanda Michael. Engaged in interdisciplinary projects involving microbiology, immunology, and clinical translation.