Xintong Dong

Xintong Dong is an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas), affiliated with the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Their research focuses on antimicrobial peptide signaling at host-microbe interfaces, with particular emphasis on neuro-immune interactions in skin diseases like psoriasis and urinary tract infections. Dr. Dong holds a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2010), a Ph.D. in Biology from Stanford University (2016), and completed postdoctoral training in Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University (2022).

Key research areas include:

• Antimicrobial peptide signaling in UTIs and skin infections
• Neuro-immune crosstalk mechanisms driving psoriatic itch
• Host-microbe interactions in skin microbiota regulation
• Role of defensins in inflammatory and sensory neuron activation

Recent work emphasizes fungal defensins' dual roles in itch/inflammation and the discovery of novel itch-modulating pathways. Publications (2021-2025) highlight breakthroughs in sensory neuron activation, defensin receptor biology, and therapeutic strategies for chronic pruritus.

Awards include an NIH R01 grant (2024), National Psoriasis Foundation Discovery Award (2023), and Damon Runyon/HHMI Postdoctoral Fellowship (2017). Their lab investigates translational applications for antimicrobial peptide signaling in clinical settings, with active projects on itch modulation and microbial immune evasion mechanisms.