Piet C de Groen is a Professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School , affiliated with the Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Division . His work spans colonoscopy quality improvement , artificial intelligence in medical imaging , and somatic mutation theories in autoimmune diseases . Key research areas include: Gastroenterology : Colonoscopy techniques, colorectal cancer prevention, ulcerative colitis disease activity scoring Medical Informatics : Electronic medical records analysis, temporal relation discovery, AI-driven clinical feedback systems Genetics & Immunology : Somatic mutations in HLA genes, mechanistic links to type 1 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and familial Mediterranean fever Major funded projects include: National Institutes of Health grants for Deep Phenotyping from EMRs (2020-2025) and Temporal Relation Discovery (2019-2023) Pfizer, Inc collaboration on Endoscopic Mucosal Scoring for Ulcerative Colitis (2019-2024) Motus GI Holdings study on Hospitalized Patients with Pure-Vu System (2018-2025) His publications highlight AI integration in endoscopic imaging , somatic mutation mechanisms , and population-level cancer screening protocols . He has contributed to international consensus guidelines on water-aided colonoscopy.
Alessio Giubellino serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Minnesota, where his work bridges molecular pathology and clinical dermatology with a specialized focus on melanoma diagnostics and therapeutics. His research centers on the molecular characterization of melanocytic lesions, including spitzoid tumors, mucosal melanomas, and metastatic mechanisms. Key investigations involve genetic fusions (e.g., VIM::NTRK3), biomarker expression (MET, PRAME), and immune checkpoint interactions. He also examines rare dermatological conditions and drug-induced skin reactions in immunocompromised populations. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a cohesive trajectory in molecular dermatopathology, emphasizing next-generation sequencing, immunohistochemical profiling, and translational applications for diagnostic refinement. His work consistently addresses challenges in distinguishing benign from malignant lesions and identifying therapeutic targets, particularly in acral and mucosal melanoma subtypes where conventional treatments show limited efficacy.
Professor Miles Parkes serves as Director of the Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre at the University of Cambridge, coordinating NIHR-funded early translational research and experimental medicine across 17 world-class research themes on campus. He holds a professorship in the Department of Medicine and maintains clinical affiliations with the NHS Department of Gastroenterology. His research focuses on inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), specializing in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis through immunogenetic, genomic, and bioinformatic approaches to mucosal immunity. This work bridges clinical gastroenterology with fundamental immunological mechanisms, positioning him at the forefront of IBD translational research. As a Principal Investigator and Clinician within the Cambridge Immunology Network (a FOCIS Centre of Excellence), he contributes to interdisciplinary immunology training and research initiatives, including seminar series, InflammaZoom webinars, and collaborative projects across Cambridge's biomedical ecosystem.
Donna Farber is the George H. Humphreys, II Professor of Surgical Sciences at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, with dual appointments in the Department of Surgery and the Department of Microbiology & Immunology. She serves as Chief of the Division of Surgical Sciences and leads the Farber Lab at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Her research program integrates fundamental mouse model studies with innovative translational approaches using human samples to investigate tissue-specific immune responses throughout the human lifespan. Dr. Farber's research focuses on immunological memory and tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM) as essential mediators of protective immunity. Her laboratory has identified novel subsets of non-circulating TRM in lung tissue that mediate optimal protective immunity against influenza infection. Current research employs total transcriptome profiling and bioinformatics to investigate mechanisms for how memory T cells become targeted to and maintained in tissues, with particular emphasis on integrins and inflammatory mediators. Her work bridges mouse models with human studies through a unique collaboration with LiveOnNY (the organ procurement organization for the New York Metropolitan area) and transplant surgeons at New York Presbyterian. Her laboratory's publications reveal a strong focus on tissue compartmentalization of lymphocytes across the lifespan, with particular attention to infant immunity, lung immunology, and responses to viral infections including influenza and SARS-CoV-2. Recent work demonstrates how tissue-resident immune cells develop differently across body sites, how they change with age, and how they respond to pathogens and vaccines. Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science Distinguished Fellow of the American Association of Immunologists Dr. Farber leads an NIH-funded Program on "Tissue compartmentalization of human lymphocytes" involving immunologists, molecular biologists and computational biologists from five institutions. Her laboratory maintains a unique research protocol with organ donors through LiveOnNY, allowing direct study of human immune responses in multiple lymphoid and mucosal tissues. The Farber Lab also conducts ongoing studies on infant immunity in collaboration with clinicians in the Pediatric Critical Care Division at Morgan Stanley/NYP, investigating how protective responses can be established in babies most susceptible to infection. The laboratory trains the next generation of immunologists while conducting cutting-edge research that has been highlighted in major publications including Nature, Science Immunology, and The New York Times.
Diego Oscar Alignani is a Professional Researcher at the Universidad de Navarra , affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine and the Department of Translational Medicine . He leads the research group Translational Immunomics in Hematological Neoplasms and is associated with the Cancer Center Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CCUN) . Education : Doctor from Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (2006) with a thesis on aging effects on mucosal immune systems and CpG oligonucleotides as oral adjuvants. His research focuses on translational immunology , particularly hematological cancers and mucosal immunity. He has contributed to understanding immune responses in aging and adjuvant development for vaccines. The Translational Immunomics in Hematological Neoplasms group explores immunogenomic approaches to hematological malignancies. No scientific awards or student advising records are mentioned in available texts.
Petra Bacher is an Assistant Professor and junior research group leader at Kiel University (CAU) and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), heading the Intestinal Immune Regulation group. Her work bridges immunology, microbiome research, and chronic inflammation. Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology (IKMB), Kiel University Institute of Immunology (IfI), UKSH Schleswig-Holstein-Excellence-Chair Her research focuses on host-microbiota interactions in chronic inflammation, particularly: Antigen-specific CD4+ T cell responses Immune tolerance breakdown in Crohn's disease Cross-reactivity between commensal microbes and pathogens Role of yeasts in immunopathology Single-cell and TCR sequencing technologies Translational applications in diagnostics and therapy Recent publications highlight trends in T cell functional diversity , cross-reactivity mechanisms, and microbiome-driven immunopathology across diseases like Crohn's and cystic fibrosis. Her team at IKMB/UKSH includes doctoral researchers and bioinformatics specialists, applying cutting-edge methods such as antigen-reactive T cell enrichment (ARTE) and immunopeptidomics.
Dr Jessica Barnes is a Research Fellow at the University of Newcastle's School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, affiliated with the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) and serving as Deputy Theme Leader for the Airway Disease and Vaccines Theme. With a PhD in Immunology and Microbiology (2023), she has made seminal contributions to T cell immunology through her discovery of Th22 cells as a distinct lineage and their T-bet-dependent functional characterisation. University of Newcastle Doctor of Philosophy (Immunology and Microbiology) Bachelor of Biotechnology (Honours) Her research focuses on CD4+ T cell regulation at mucosal surfaces, particularly in respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Key technical expertise includes flow cytometry , mouse models , transgenic tools , and RNA-sequencing . She leads preclinical studies on host-pathogen interactions and NHMRC-funded projects addressing T cell dysfunction in chronic inflammation like severe asthma. Scientific output includes 13 peer-reviewed publications, over 650 citations, and a Google Scholar h-index of 11. Notable contributions in Mucosal Immunology , Journal of Immunology , and Science Translational Medicine demonstrate her impact in cellular immunology (70%), respiratory diseases (20%), and allergy research (10%). Currently supervising two PhD candidates and contributing to collaborative research efforts, her work spans Translational immunology Vaccine development Host defence mechanisms with particular emphasis on cross-disciplinary applications in inflammation and infection dynamics.
Natalija D. Polović serves as Full Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Chemistry, where she has progressed through academic ranks since 2006. Her leadership extends to roles including President of the Faculty Council and membership in multiple university commissions for self-assessment and ethics. Educational background includes: BSc in Chemical Sciences (University of Belgrade, 2002) MSc in Chemical Sciences (University of Belgrade, 2005) PhD in Chemical Sciences (University of Belgrade, 2008) Postdoctoral Studies in Medical Sciences (Karolinska Institutet, 2008-2009) Her research centers on protein biophysics with emphasis on conformational dynamics, where she investigates amyloid formation pathways, protein-RNA folding mechanisms, and ligand-binding thermodynamics. Current work leverages advanced spectroscopic techniques to characterize denaturation processes in enzymes like ficin and papain, with applications spanning biotechnology and clinical diagnostics. Her group actively explores functional amyloids for industrial use and develops novel allergy therapeutics through molecular engineering. Publication trends reveal consistent focus on protein stability mechanisms (60% of recent work), enzyme characterization (25%), and diagnostic/therapeutic applications (15%), predominantly utilizing biophysical methods like FTIR and quartz crystal microbalance. This output supports her leadership in bilateral projects with Slovenia and CEEPUS networks. Scientific recognition includes: 10+ international awards (2003-2010), notably 5 EAACI poster prizes IUPAC Award at Serbian Chemical Society Conference (2008) Đarmanović Fund Scholarship at Royal Swedish Academy (2008) Research funding spans 8 major projects including EU COST Actions on cystic fibrosis therapeutics (2010-2014), ICGEB antimicrobial studies (2016-2018), and current bilateral work on functional amyloids (2021-2022). She mentors through CEEPUS mobility programs and teaches core courses including Protein Conformational Transitions and Biochemistry of Macromolecules.
University of California, Los AngelesUnited States
Hrishikesh S. Kulkarni is a physician-scientist at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA within the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. He holds the Dr. Allan J. Swartz and Roslyn Holt Swartz Women's Lung Health Endowed Chair . His research focuses on leveraging innate immune proteins, particularly the complement system, to mitigate acute lung injury (ALI) and improve outcomes in lung transplantation. Current faculty member at UCLA Active in transplantation immunology Endowed chair in women's lung health Dr. Kulkarni's research explores complement system dynamics in lung injury, with specific emphasis on distinguishing local pulmonary complement sources from systemic ones. His program investigates mechanisms of ALI in infection and transplantation settings, utilizing In vitro and in vivo models Clinical biorepositories (lung tissue, bronchial fluid) Translational approaches to therapeutics His recent work (2024-2025) reveals key insights into complement hexamerization in IgG-mediated ALI, Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced rejection in lung transplants, and mucosal immunity modulation . Common themes across publications include Complement system in transplantation Lung injury pathogenesis Microbiome-immune interactions Therapeutic targeting of innate immunity Biorepository-validated research Translational clinical applications Scientific contributions recognized by Election to the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI) in 2025 Leadership in American Thoracic Society workshops Endowed chair in women's lung health His laboratory at UCLA combines Basic science (complement biology) Clinical research (lung transplant outcomes) Mucosal immunity studies Training programs for future scientists with active collaborations across the Immunology, Inflammation, Infection and Transplantation (I3T) Research Theme and translational research networks.
University of California, Los AngelesUnited States
Derek Alan Wong is a HS Associate Clinical Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles , with dual appointments in Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences . His clinical and research focus centers on genetic disorders, particularly inborn errors of metabolism , newborn screening , and mathematical/computer modeling of biological processes . Education: B.A./M.S. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University Medical degree and pediatric residency (institution unspecified) Fellowship in clinical and biochemical genetics at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (2002) Research Themes: Dr. Wong's work spans genetic disease diagnostics , cell-free bioproduction systems , and therapeutic development for metabolic disorders . Recent projects include creating glycoCAP platforms for vaccine production and analyzing KMT2B-related neurodevelopmental disorders . Scientific Contributions: His publications highlight expertise in genetic screening programs , synthetic biology applications , and translational medicine . Major works include clinical exome sequencing for rare diseases and metabolic engineering of sialoglycoproteins.
Laura Sormani Le Bourhis is a Researcher at the University of Queensland's Dermatology Research Centre under the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences. Her work focuses on melanoma vascularization, immune regulation in skin diseases, and molecular mechanisms of melanocyte function. Doctor of Philosophy, Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis Her research spans dermatology , immunology , and cancer biology , with recent publications on CLEC12B's role in skin homeostasis, SOX9's impact on vascular biology, and environmental triggers in vitiligo. Key themes include melanoma metastasis, endothelial progenitor cells, and immune signaling pathways like STAT1/IRF1 and CXCR3B. Supervision roles include mentoring PhD and Master's students on melanoma vascularization and skin disease mechanisms. Affiliated with the Dermatology Research Centre and Frazer Institute, she contributes to understanding tumor angiogenesis and immune interactions in skin pathologies.
Dr Emily Bryan is a Research Fellow at the UQ Centre for Clinical Research, affiliated with the University of Queensland's Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences. Her work focuses on immunology and infectious diseases, particularly in reproductive contexts. Role: Research Fellow Institution: University of Queensland Key Affiliation: UQ Centre for Clinical Research Dr Bryan's research spans mucosal immunity, pathogen-host interactions, and fertility impacts of infections like Chlamydia and Neisseria. She investigates DNA damage, immunopathology, and vaccine efficacy against genital infections, with a focus on translational and pre-clinical models. Recent publications highlight her work on probiotics for respiratory infections, liposomal drug delivery for Chlamydia, and immune mechanisms in reproductive tract infections. Her studies often bridge immunology, microbiology, and reproductive biology. Scientific Awards: Member of Australia and New Zealand Society for Immunology, Member of Society for Reproductive Biology Dr Bryan is available for supervision and collaborates with multidisciplinary teams in clinical trials, microbiome research, and nanomedicine. She contributes to education through structured practical activities for healthcare student training.
Daniela Knizkova serves as a Postdoctoral Scientist (Research Fellow) at the University of Oxford within the: School: Medical Sciences Division Department: Radcliffe Department of Medicine Research Group: Simmons Group: Intestinal Immunity in Health and Disease Her research centers on Immunology and Gastroenterology , with specialized focus on mucosal immune responses, inflammatory bowel disease mechanisms, and intestinal barrier function in pathological states. She investigates how immune dysregulation contributes to gastrointestinal disorders, aiming to translate findings into therapeutic strategies for gut-related diseases. The Simmons Group operates within the Radcliffe Department of Medicine, leveraging interdisciplinary approaches to study host-microbe interactions and immune tolerance in the intestinal mucosa through advanced molecular and cellular techniques.
Christine J. Ko, MD is Professor of Dermatology and Pathology at Yale School of Medicine. She is board certified in dermatology with a specialty certificate in dermatopathology. Dr. Ko primarily works in the Division of Dermatopathology, where she renders diagnoses for skin biopsies sent from Yale Dermatology Associates and other Connecticut dermatology practices. She specializes in Transplant Dermatology, providing care for organ transplant patients who are on immunosuppressive medications and at higher risk for skin cancer. Professor of Dermatology (Primary Appointment) Professor of Pathology (Secondary Appointment) Member of Cutaneous Granulomatous Disorders Program Participant in Genomics, Genetics, and Epigenetics research Yale Cancer Center member Dr. Ko received her undergraduate degree from Princeton University (1995) and her medical degree from New York University School of Medicine (1999). She completed her internship at UCLA (2000), dermatology residency at University of California, Irvine (2003), and a postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA (2004). Her primary research focus centers on distinguishing diseases that present similarly both clinically and microscopically. Dr. Ko has published extensively in clinical dermatology and dermatopathology, including authoring books such as "Dermatology: Visual Recognition and Case Reviews," "Dermatology Essentials," and "Dermatopathology: Diagnosis by First Impression." She is particularly interested in skin cancer mechanisms, especially squamous cell carcinoma and keratoacanthoma, and has collaborated with researchers in Genetics and Dermatologic Surgery. More recently, she has explored cognitive bias in medical diagnosis, publishing a two-part series on the topic. Analysis of Dr. Ko's recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on dermatopathology, skin cancer pathology (particularly squamous cell carcinoma), transplant dermatology, and diagnostic methodology. Her work demonstrates extensive collaboration with transplant surgeons like Bohdan Pomahac and Martin Kauke-Navarro, as well as dermatopathologists like Jennifer McNiff and Keith Choate. The breadth of her research spans from molecular genetics of skin disorders to clinical decision-making processes in dermatology. Dr. Ko serves as a Sub Investigator for the clinical trial "Molecular Markers of UV Exposure and Cancer Risk in Skin" and is involved with the Women's Health Research at Yale (WHRY) Pilot Project Program. Her approach emphasizes the importance of correlating clinical and microscopic findings for accurate diagnosis, particularly for complex cases. She is affiliated with multiple research programs including the Cutaneous Granulomatous Disorders Program, Skin & Kidney Cancer Program, Surgical Pathology, and Yale Dermatology Associates. Her work in transplant dermatology has contributed significantly to understanding rejection patterns in facial vascularized composite allografts and long-term outcomes in face transplantation.
Dr. Jeffrey S. Wolf serves as Professor of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he holds dual administrative leadership as Medical Director of Frenkil Clinic and Associate Chief Clinical Officer at UMMC. His clinical practice focuses on head and neck oncology and complex airway management, supported by extensive research in tumor immunology and medical device innovation. Dr. Wolf's educational foundation includes: B.S. in Biology with Vertebrate Physiology Option, Pennsylvania State University (1992) M.D., University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (1996) Residency in Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, University of Maryland Medical System (1997-2001) His research program spans three interconnected domains: Head and Neck Oncology : Investigating tumor microenvironment interactions and immunotherapeutic approaches for squamous cell carcinoma Sleep Apnea Diagnostics : Developing ultrasound-based detection systems and automated CPAP titration methods Medical Device Engineering : Creating emergency airway solutions including apneic oxygenation and tracheostomy devices Analysis of his 15 most recent publications (2022-2025) reveals a pronounced shift toward proton therapy outcomes for recurrent head/neck cancer and continued innovation in airway management devices. Approximately 60% of recent work focuses on genomic analysis of treatment response, while 30% involves novel medical device development, demonstrating his dual commitment to translational oncology and biomedical engineering. Dr. Wolf has received exceptional clinical recognition: Baltimore Magazine Top Doc (Otolaryngology: 2010,2012,2014,2016; Head/Neck Oncology: 2010,2012,2014,2017) Castle-Connolly Top Doc (2011-2018) University of Maryland Teaching Award (2012,2016) While student advising details are unavailable in source materials, his leadership extends to founding Maryland ENT Abroad (www.Mentabroad.org), an international surgical outreach organization. Dr. Wolf maintains active research teams through the University of Maryland Program in Oncology and serves as Co-Director of General Otolaryngology, directing clinical protocols and multidisciplinary tumor board operations.
