Calvo Research Group

The mission of the MEU is to understand the complex mechanisms of vector-host and vector-pathogen interactions at the biochemical and molecular levels. A combination of bioinformatic analyses, recombinant protein production, structural biology, assay development, and gene editing (based on the CRISPR/Cas9 system) is being used to discover the functions of salivary proteins and their possible function(s) in blood feeding and pathogen transmission. The aim is to develop new control strategies to reduce or eliminate vector-borne diseases.

Eric Calvo's Molecular Entomology Unit Research Team

Molecular Entomology Unit, 2024. Left to right: Paola Valenzuela-Leon, Research Fellow; Erika Nishiduka, Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow; Ms. Molly Ring, IRTA Postbaccalaureate Fellow; Brian Bonilla, Laboratory Technician.

Credit: NIAID

Eric Calvo, Ph.D.

Chief, Molecular Entomology Unit
Stadtman Investigator
NIH Distinguished Scholar

Education:

Ph.D., Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil

B.Sc., University of Havana, Cuba

Languages Spoken: Spanish, Portuguese

Dr. Calvo was born and raised in Havana, Cuba. He received his B.Sc. in biochemistry from the University of Havana, Cuba, and his Ph.D. from the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He did postdoctoral work at the University of California, Irvine, and NIAID. Dr. Calvo became a staff scientist first at the FDA and then at NIAID, where he is now an Earl Stadtman tenure...

Learn more about Eric Calvo, Ph.D.

Photo of Eric Calvo, Ph.D.

Brian Bonilla, A.A.

Laboratory Technician

Education:

STEM program, 2019, Montgomery College, Rockville, Maryland

Associate of Arts, 2011, Montgomery College, Rockville, Maryland

Languages Spoken: Spanish

Brian is interested in the entomological field of arthropod vectors and the human pathogens they transmit. He received an Associate of Arts degree from Montgomery College, Maryland. Through many years of research work at NIH, Brian has amassed impressive expertise in molecular and biological techniques and procedures. He is highly specialized in the maintenance and rearing of various arthropods...

Learn more about Brian Bonilla, A.A.

Photo of Brian Bonilla, A.A.

Molly Ring, B.Sc.

Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow

Education:

B.Sc., Biomedical Sciences with a concentration in Microbiology and Infectious Disease, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

Molly Ring received her B.Sc. in microbiology and infectious disease from Colorado State University in 2023. During her undergraduate degree, she conducted research on the efficacy of repeat ivermectin mass drug administrations for the control of malaria (RIMDAMAL) at the Centers for Vector-Borne Infectious Disease, Colorado State University. While at Colorado State University, she worked on a...

Learn more about Molly Ring, B.Sc.

Photo of Molly Ring, B.Sc.

Erika Sayuri Nishiduka Costa, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow

Education:

Ph.D., Molecular Biology, 2023, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil

M.Sc., Molecular Biology, 2018, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil

B.Sc., Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Languages Spoken: Portuguese

Dr. Nishiduka was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She earned her B.Sc. in chemical engineering from the Federal University of São Paulo, followed by both her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in molecular biology from the same institution. Driven by an interest in biomolecules that impact human health, her research focuses on characterizing biologically active compounds using advanced omics techniques. She...

Learn more about Erika Sayuri Nishiduka Costa, Ph.D.

Photo of Erika Sayuri Nishiduka Costa, Ph.D.

Paola Carolina Valenzuela-Léon, Ph.D.

Research Fellow

Education:

Ph.D., Molecular Biomedicine, Center for Research and Advanced Studies, (CINVESTAV, IPN), Mexico City, Mexico

M.S., Molecular Biomedicine, Center for Research and Advanced Studies (CINVESTAV, IPN), Mexico City, Mexico

B.Sc., Chemical Pharmaceutical Biologist, Autonomous University of Guadalajara, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico

Languages Spoken: Spanish

Paola Carolina Valenzuela León earned her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in molecular biomedicine from CINVESTAV, Mexico, where she studied the role of mosquito saliva on dengue virus infection of cultured human fibroblasts. Following her doctoral work, Dr. Valenzuela León joined Dr. Calvo’s group as a visiting postdoctoral fellow, where she investigated the direct interaction of mosquito salivary proteins to...

Learn more about Paola Carolina Valenzuela-Léon, Ph.D.

Photo of Paola Carolina Valenzuela-Léon, Ph.D.

Former Research Group Members

  • Emma Duge, B.Sc., IRTA Postbaccalaureate, Ph.D. candidate, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Ines Martin-Martin, Ph.D., Research Fellow, Principal Investigator, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain
  • Olivia Kern, B.Sc., IRTA Postbaccalaureate, Ph.D. candidate, Department of Global Health, University of Washington
  • Andrew S. Paige, B.Sc., IRTA Postbaccalaureate, Ph.D. candidate, School of Biological Sciences, Columbia University
  • Lindsay Martin, B.Sc., IRTA Postbaccalaureate, Ph.D. candidate, College of Arts and Science, Vanderbilt University
  • Karina Botello, MNAS-MS, IRTA Postbaccalaureate Fellow, Health Educator, NHLBI, Bethesda, MD
  • Leticia Barion Smith, Ph.D., IRTA Postdoctoral Fellow, Regulatory Scientist, Syngenta Global, Durham, NC 
  • Adeline Elizabeth Williams, MPH., Ph.D., IRTA Postdoctoral Fellow, Biological Scientist, RAND Corporation, Arlington, VA
  • Gaurav Shrivastava, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow, Scientific Operations Manager, LMVR, NIAID, Rockville, MD
  • Kaio Bentes, M.Sc., Predoctoral Visiting Fellow, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Brasilia, Brazil
  • Leticia B. Smith, Ph.D., IRTA Postdoctoral Fellow, Regulatory Scientist, Syngenta Global, Durham, NC
Content last reviewed on