M.D./Ph.D. Students

Sabareesh Sundarraj

Undergraduate school: Saint Louis University
Mentor: Richard DiPaolo, Ph.D., Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Career interests: Cancer immunology and immunotherapy

My Research and Journey
My undergraduate research was conducted under Dr. Ryan Teague in SLU’s Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. In the Teague lab, I investigated how parental obesity may affect the development of the offspring immune system. I was able to develop and optimize multiple in vitro assays to mimic the bone marrow to test how maturation of hematopoietic progenitors would develop in the presence of obesity-associated inflammatory cytokines. I also investigated how obesity influences CD8 T cell function in tumors and whether elevated secondary bile acids contributed to CD8 T cell dysfunction in obese mice.

I aim to learn more about chimeric antigen receptor cell-based therapies with a goal of incorporating multiple immunotherapies to better target and treat cancers.

Erol Ikiz

Undergraduate school: University of Illinois
Mentor: Reza Dastvan, Ph.D., Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Career interests: Academic medicine, biotechnology, pharmaceutical industry

My Research and Journey
My research focuses on Spns1, a lysophospholipid transporter, and understanding the conformational dynamics that underlie its function. More broadly, I am interested in membrane protein biophysics and structural biology as well as the role of lipid transporters in human health and disease.

As I continue through my training, I hope to keep an open mind about where these interests may lead. I am interested in a career that allows me to connect scientific discovery with improvements in human health.

Jacob "J.J." Adler

Undergraduate school: New York University
Mentor: Long Ping Victor Tse, Ph.D., Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Career interests: Academic medicine; integrating research, patient care and teaching

My Research and Journey
My undergraduate research was in computational chemistry and chemical biology in the Arora Group at New York University. I developed a quantum mechanics computational workflow to design catalysts for efficient peptide synthesis.

At SLU, I study multiple topics related to dengue virus including novel vaccine development, virus structure and biology, and the immune response following exposure. My main project focuses on what components of polyclonal sera lead to protective and enhancing responses following infection by utilizing a novel protein library for antibody mapping and serum fingerprinting.

My broad research and clinical interests include immunology, infectious disease and vaccinology. I am passionate about pursuing research questions that are challenging to address with the currently-available technology through developing novel tools to better characterize molecular interactions.

Yasser Hussaini

Undergraduate school: University of Washington, Seattle
Mentor: Enrico Di Cera, M.D., Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

My Research and Journey
In the Bruce Clurman lab at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington, I investigated cancer therapeutics and biochemistry at the intersection of the cell cycle. Our group rectified an incomplete model of c-MYC degradation by the E3 ubiquitin ligase FBXW7, the former being a notorious proto-oncogene. My work also involved assessing therapeutic responses in-vitro and in-vivo to targeted therapies — for example, against the WEE1 kinase (whose dysregulation is implicated in a number of cancers) as well as any corresponding inflammatory signaling changes in murine tumor grafts.

At SLU, I'm currently using protein engineering and structural biology tools to target and treat disease. For example, clotting-factor coagulopathies like the Factor V Leiden phenotype can be rectified by targeted proteolysis, provided a protein can be designed to attack the disease-causing mutation. Additionally, in what will likely be my principal thesis, several blood cancers and diseases remain vulnerable to targeted protein therapies that leverage coagulation pathways, enabling broad-spectrum disease coverage while maintaining specificity and minimizing side-effects.

Lily McMorrow

Undergraduate school: Georgetown University
Mentor: Noor Al-Hammadi, Ph.D., Health and Clinical Outcomes Research
Career interests: Global/women’s health and policy 

My Research and Journey
I am currently completing an NIH Fogarty LAUNCH Fellowship through the ACHIEVE Consortium, based at the Uganda Cancer Institute in Kampala, where I am investigating the impact of international funding disruptions on cervical cancer screening efforts using mixed-methods and implementation science approaches to generate evidence that is actionable at the policy and systems level. My long-term interests lie at the intersection of global health, women's health and policy, with a particular focus on contexts of political instability and natural disaster.

I hope to pursue a career with an NGO or multilateral organization working to advance health equity for women in both acute and long-term settings, bringing both a clinical and research perspective to the problems I care about most.

Samantha Cooke

Undergraduate school: Carleton College
Mentor: Elise Alspach, Ph.D., Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology

My Research and Journey
I am currently studying sex differences in tumorigenesis and mechanisms, such as T-cell responses, which may be driving these differences.

Zachary Foulks

Undergraduate school: Missouri University of Science and Technology
Mentor: Kyle McCommis, Ph.D., Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

My Research and Journey
My undergraduate research, conducted in the lab of Honglan Shi, Ph.D., primarily involved characterizing the biosynthetic pathway of pteridines in human epithelial breast cells. My goal was to identify trends of these compounds in urine that could be used to detect and diagnose breast cancer. I also led a project to identify pheromones and other signaling biomolecules used by brown recluse spiders, with my ultimate goal being spider population control. 

At SLU, I am using cellular and mice models to investigate the role of diet and mitochondrial pyruvate carrier protein mutations in the development of liver and heart disease.

Robert Kousnetsov, Ph.D.

Undergraduate school: Santa Clara University
Mentor: Daniel Hawiger, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology

My Research and Journey
I am interested in a research-oriented career geared towards immunology and precision medicine.

Spencer Schmid, Ph.D.

Undergraduate school: University of Michigan
Mentor: Erica Salter, Ph.D., Department of Healthcare Ethics
Career interests: Bioethics and public health policy

My Research and Journey
My undergraduate research was conducted at the University of Michigan's Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine. I was fortunate enough to be engaged in a wide variety of research projects, including studying gendered differences in health care-provider burnout; end-of-life care policies involving terminally ill cancer patients; community-based participatory research initiatives studying allocation of scarce health care resources; and educational outreach related to chronic kidney disease.

At SLU, I am hoping to build upon the work I did in my undergraduate philosophy degree in the spheres of end-of-life decision-making, the appropriate role of genetic technologies in preventative medical care, deontological approaches to public health and more.

Elisabeth DeMarco

Undergraduate school: Purdue University
Mentor: Leslie Hinyard, Ph.D., Division of Health and Clinical Outcomes Research
Career interests: Internal medicine/geriatric medicine

My Research and Journey
My dissertation work with the AHEAD Institute focused on the measurement, progression and phenomenology of affective disorders among people with Parkinson's Disease. Through this work, I explored commonly used rating scales for anxiety and depression to find a new way of characterizing these symptoms that may better align with new schools of thought in psychological research and more readily discriminate mood symptoms from somatic experiences and sleep disturbances. Along the way, I collaborated with numerous faculty mentors and peers across disciplines to develop a well-rounded appreciation of study design, statistical analysis, and academic writing.

I am excited to explore questions that arise in my clinical practice through the lens gained from my Ph.D., ultimately serving both individual patients and a much broader population. I envision a career caring for older adults, focusing on supporting and improving their functional status and quality of life. (I'm supported in my research endeavors by my research assistant — Maggie, my dog, whose primary skill is sleeping under my desk!)

Stella Hoft, Ph.D.

Undergraduate school: Pitzer College
Mentor: Richard DiPaolo, Ph.D., Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Career interests: Pediatrician-scientist, mucosal immunology

My Research and Journey
My thesis work focused on understanding how chronic inflammation in the stomach, driven by autoimmune disease or infection, promotes the development of gastric cancer. Using transcriptomic and proteomic approaches, I discovered a novel biomarker that can identify precancerous cells in patients with gastric disease.

I hope to become a pediatrician-scientist and pursue clinical research within the field of mucosal immunology. I am interested in investigating how mucosal routes of vaccination and immunomodulation can be harnessed to promote protective yet balanced immune responses, limiting tissue damage in the settings of infection, autoimmunity or allergic disease in children.

Reagan McGuffee, Ph.D.

Undergraduate school: Millsaps College
Mentor: David Ford, Ph.D., Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Career interests: Sepsis outcomes, lipidomics research

My Research and Journey
My dissertation utilized LC-MS-based lipidomics techniques to investigate changes in plasmalogen phospholipids in sepsis. My studies revealed a decline in these lipids in the plasma of human sepsis patients. We attributed this to endothelial injury based on an in vitro endothelial endotoxemia model mirroring plasmalogen losses seen in vivo. 

Supplementation with plasmalogen precursors in this model rapidly replenished plasmalogen pools and appeared to confer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Future studies will search for improved sepsis outcomes with the utilization of plasmalogen precursors alongside the standard of care.

Di "Andy" Wu, Ph.D.

Undergraduate school: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Mentor: Rajeev Aurora, Ph.D., Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Career interests: Academic medicine, pathology

My Research and Journey
My thesis focused on the mechanism of T-cell mediated inflammation on bone quality and how it contributes to the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis. I utilized ovariectomize (OVX) mice as a model for the post-menopausal state and combined both immunology and bone histopathology techniques. My work showed that inflammation compromises bone quality in the form of disorganized bone matrix and diminished mechanical sensing of osteocytes before detectable changes in bone density. Additional work also showed that induction of CD8+ regulatory T-cells (Tcreg) has the potential to restore homeostatic bone remodeling in an estrogen-depleted state.

I am applying to pathology residency, and I'm deeply committed to medical education. I hope to remain in academic medicine, mentoring future physician scientists while continuing my research interests in the role of the immune systems in homeostasis.