Margulies Research Group

The Molecular Biology Section Basic Science research group is focused on understanding the structural and molecular details of cellular recognition in the immune response. To this end our focus is on cell surface molecules (MHC I and II molecules, T cell receptors, natural killer cell receptors) using a variety of genetic, biochemical, biophysical tools, including X-ray and cryo-EM structural analysis to understand how crucial components interact. In addition, we study viral immunoevasins, and how viral structures are recognized by antibodies.

David H. Margulies, M.D., Ph.D.

Chief, Molecular Biology Section

Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.

Education:

M.D., Ph.D., 1978, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Dr. Margulies received an A.B. from Columbia University in 1971. In 1978, he earned his M.D. and Ph.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. From 1978 to 1980, he served as a resident in medicine at Columbia/Presbyterian Medical Center. From 1980 to 1983, he worked as a research associate in the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. From 1983 to 1987, he was an investigator in the Laboratory of Immunology. In 1987, he became a senior investigator and, since 1989, has been chief of the Molecular Biology Section. Since 2008, he has been a member of the Senior Biomedical Research Service.

Learn more about David H. Margulies, M.D., Ph.D.

Portrait of David H. Margulies, M.D., Ph.D.

Javeed Ahmad Dhobi, Ph.D. (He/Him/His)

Visiting Fellow

Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.

Education:

Ph.D., 2017, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi

M.Sc., 2010, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Kashmir, Srinagar

Languages Spoken: Kashmiri, Urdu

Javeed received his Ph.D. from All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi and his Ph.D. thesis research aimed at understanding the role of disordered proteins in Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogenesis. As a postdoc, his work is focused on understanding the role of immunoevasins in MHC Class I antigen presentation. In another projects, he is interested in understanding the ligand binding...

Learn more about Javeed Ahmad Dhobi, Ph.D.

Lisa F. Boyd, B.A. (She/Her/Hers)

Chemist

Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.

Education:

B.A., 1980, Biology and Chemistry, Western Maryland College

I have been a part of the Laboratory of Immune System Biology (Immunology) since 1983. Primary research focus has been on Class I MHC molecules, including the structure, function, peptide analysis, as well as the interactions with other molecules of the immune system. Our studies have included gaining an understanding of the peptide loading complex. Recent research has included studies of COVID-19...

Learn more about Lisa F. Boyd, B.A.

Jiansheng Jiang, Ph.D.

Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.

Education:

Ph.D. 1989, University of York, UK

Post-doctoral, 1991-1996, Yale University, CT

Languages Spoken: Chinese

Trained in X-ray crystallography and structural biology, working in immunology. Current projects are (1) Mechanism of MHC-I in antigen presentation; (2) Structures of SARS-CoV-2/RBD with antibody or nanobody; (3) Structural bioinformatics.

Learn more about Jiansheng Jiang, Ph.D.

Michael G. Mage, D.D.S.

Scientist Emeritus

Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.

Education:

Postdoctoral research, Department of Microbiology, 1960-1962, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

D.D.S., 1960, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

A.B., 1955, Cornell University

Languages Spoken: Japanese, German

Major interests have been in molecular immunology, studies of antibody function and structure, development of methods for antibody analysis, evaluation of expression of cell surface molecules on lymphoid cells, preparation of molecular fragments of antibodies, purification of lymphoid cell subsets with specific antibodies, engineering of single chain class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC)...

Learn more about Michael G. Mage, D.D.S.

Kannan Natarajan, Ph.D. (He/Him/His)

Staff Scientist

Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.

Education:

Ph.D., 1985, Madurai Kamaraj University, India

Postdoctoral, 1986-1988, Biozentrum, University of Basel, Switzerland

Postdoctoral, 1992-1995, Cancer Center, University of Rochester, NY

1995, Forsyth Research Institute, Boston, MA

1995-present, Molecular Biology Section, LISB (formerly LI), NIAID, NIH

Languages Spoken: Tamil, Hindi

Research interests are the structure and dynamics of protein interactions underlying MHC-I antigen presentation and antigenic recognition.

Learn more about Kannan Natarajan, Ph.D.

Former Research Group Members

Visiting Scientists - Current Position: 

Michael G. Mage, DDS —Scientist emeritus, NIAID, MBS/LISB/NIAID

Philip L. Cohen, M.D. —Professor Clinical Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University

Maria Jamella Revilleza, Ph.D. – NCI Program Director, Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities, Integrated Network Branch 

Sergei Khilko, Ph.D.—Staff Scientist, NIDDK, deceased

Ditza Levin, Ph.D. – Visiting Scientist, FDA

Dan Eilat, Ph.D.- Hadassah University Medical Center- Professor Emeritus

Shihoko Aizawa-Komine, M.D.--Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Nihon University School of Medicine

Kannan Natarajan, Ph.D.- LMBS/LISB

Mitsuo Honda, Ph.D.-Nihon University School of Medicine

Fumito Tani, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, National university Corporation Kyushu University, Department of Applied Molecular Chemistry

Shozo Sakuma – Ph.D.

Mitsuo Honda, Ph.D. – Nihon University

Postdoctoral Fellows: 

Javeed Dhobi Ahmad, Ph.D. – Visiting Fellow, MBS/LISB/NIAID

Doo Hyun Chung, M.D. -- Professor Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Linda Hillstrom Shapiro, Ph.D. -- Professor, Department of Cell Biology, Director, Center for Vascular Biology, UConn Health

Rosemarie Hunziker, Ph.D. – Director of Tissue Engineering/Regenerative Medicine Program, NIBIB, now retired. Principal at Connexon, Life Sciences Consulting

Shozo Sakuma, Ph.D.

James McCluskey, M.D., BM/BS. -- Professor and Acting Provost, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (research) the University of Melbourne

Steven Kozlowski, M.D. – Director, Office of Biotechnology Products at OPQ/CDER/FDA

Maripat Corr, M.D. – Professor, Rheumatology Fellowship Program Associate Director, UCSD

Jonathan Schneck, M.D., Ph.D. -- Professor of Pathology and Oncology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Randy K. Ribaudo, Ph.D. – Human Workflows and SciPhD founder

Manqing Hong, Ph.D. – Staff Scientist, Integrated DNA Technologies, Redwood, City, CA

Sophie Candon, M.D. – Professor, Laboratory of Immunology and Biotherapies, Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France; Normandy University, UNIROUEN, INSERMU1234, Rouen, France

Giora Morozov, M.D., Ph.D. – Research Scientist at Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology Center

Mulualem Tilahun, DVM, Ph.D. -- Program Director at Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities, NIH

Nathan May, Ph.D.

Jian Wang, Ph.D. – Scientific Review Officer, VMD, AIDC, DPPS,Center for Scientific Review, NIH

Rui Wang, Ph.D. – Scientist, Intrexon Corporation, Germantown, MD

Li Zhi, Ph.D. – Senior Staff, Formulation Development scientist at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc

Graduate Student: 

Janet Mans, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Department of Medical Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pretoria, SA

Postbaccalaureate Students:

Ashleigh Hicks, M.D. (University of Maryland School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins, Geriatric Medicine, Baltimore, MD) 

Kate Larabee (Tuttle), M.D.-- pediatric/adult allergist/immunologist, U. Rochester Medical Center 

Wolfe

Ellen Kim – Ph.D. student, Department of Biomedical Engineering, MIT

Daniel Kyle Taylor—Current Post- Bac—UCLA deparment of Chemistry

Fred Allen -- Medical Student, Case Western

Nageen Sherani—Medical Student, University of Maryland

Richard D. Lopez, M.D. – Cellular Therapy Specialist, Duke Blood Cancer Center, Durham, NC

Ron Shinar, M.D. – Diagnostic Radiology, Phoenix, AZ

David H. Chin, M.D. – Radiology, Fremont CA

High School and Summer Students:

Anna Ramsey, (Anna L. Ramsey-Ewing, Ph.D.) -- Director, Office of Grants Management and Scientific Review, NCATS, NIH

Michelle Till

Michael Paskow, Ph.D. – Associate Director, Epidemiology at Astra Zeneca, Washington, DC

Lin Bei

Leah Wolfish

Brownhilda Ngwang, DO -- Angel Kids Pediatrics, Jacksonville, FLA

Solomon K. Bisangwa, M.D. – Neurology Practice, Jefferson Health, New Jersey

Ariel Weinberger, CEO Autonomous Therapeutics

Shlomit Frankel (Edinger), Ph.D. – Chief Technical Officer, Astra Analytics

Sara Verschleisser –applying to medical school

Collaborative Scientists:

Diane Handy, Ph.D. (with John Coligan) -- Asst Professor of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard

Andrew Lew, Ph.D. (with John Coligan) - WEHI, Melbourne Australia, Retired

Michael Derby, M.D. (with Jay Berzofsky)

Igor Belyakov, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc.,– Dept. Internal Medicine, University of Michigan

Abir Panda, Ph.D. (with Ethan Shevach)—Research Fellow, CIS/LISB/NIAID

Blake Frey--Medical student Emory U. (with Jay Berzofsky)

Nikolaos Sgourakis (with Ad Bax) Ph.D.--Associate Professor, CHOP and University of Pennsylvania

Marianne DiBrino, PhD (with John Coligan)—Patent Examiner Patent and Trademark Office

Joshua Leonard, PhD (Lab of David Segal) – Associate Professor of Chemical And Biological Engineering, Northwestern University

Pierre Valadon, PhD (Lab of Matthew D. Scharff) – President Antibody Design Labs, San Diego, CA

Content last reviewed on