Laboratory of Clinical Immunology & Microbiology

Lionakis Research Group

Opportunistic fungal infections represent major causes of morbidity and mortality despite the administration of antifungal therapy. A better mechanistic understanding of host-fungal interactions will inform the development of improved immune-based strategies for the prevention, risk stratification, prognostication, vaccination, and treatment of vulnerable patient populations. In the Fungal Pathogenesis Section (FPS), we use an integrated bench-to-bedside multidisciplinary approach encompassing immunology, mycology, and genetics to investigate protection against and susceptibility to pathogenic fungi. We evaluate large cohorts of patients with inherited or acquired susceptibility to fungal disease and study antifungal immune responses in vitro and in vivo in a variety of clinically relevant mouse models of fungal disease. Thus, we employ various immunological, biological, and imaging approaches to measure biological determinants of disease outcomes in humans and mice. Our research directly informs clinically actionable interventions, including developing targeted preventive and therapeutic interventions in at-risk patients.

Michail Lionakis, M.D., Sc.D.

Chief, Fungal Pathogenesis Section
Deputy Chief, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology

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Specialty(s): Infectious Disease, Internal Medicine
Provides direct clinical care to patients at NIH Clinical Center

Education:

M.D., Sc.D., University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece

Dr. Lionakis obtained his M.D. and Sc.D. from the University of Crete in Greece. In 2002, he came to the United States and worked as a research fellow at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) under the mentorship of Dimitrios Kontoyiannis. At MDACC, Dr. Lionakis did clinical research on risk factors, diagnosis, and management of opportunistic fungal infections in cancer patients and bench research focusing on pharmacology and microbial factors in mouse and Drosophila models of invasive aspergillosis, fusariosis, and candidiasis.

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Michail S. Lionakis, M.D., Sc.D., poses for a photo

Princess Barber, M.S.N.

Case Manager

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Education:

M.S.N., Walden University
B.S., Nursing, Columbia Union College

Princess comes to FPS with a clinical background working in cardiology, oncology, infectious diseases, and management. As a case manager in FPS, she provides care coordination and protocol implementation on the section’s natural history and interventional studies on human fungal infections and autoimmunity.

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Tom Dimaggio, R.N.

Nurse

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Education:

R.N., Frederick Community College

Tom comes to FPS with a strong clinical and research background and was previously the study coordinator with the Laboratory of Allergic Diseases, working with patients with severe eczema and suspected genetic or congenital disorders of allergic inflammation. He joins FPS to manage and coordinate our natural history and interventional studies on human fungal infections and autoimmunity.

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Tom Dimaggio, R.N.

Lucas Dos Santos Dias, Ph.D.

Staff Scientist

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Education:

Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Wisconsin

Lucas did his postdoctoral research fellowship with Bruce Klein, where he focused on the development of fungal vaccines and mechanisms of T cell-mediated antifungal immunity. His work is on various projects related to AIRE-dependent mechanisms of antifungal immunity and protection from autoimmunity in mouse models of AIRE deficiency and in APECED patients. His goal is to develop novel mechanism...

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Eliezer Heller, B.S.

Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow

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Education:

B.S., 2023, Yeshiva University

Eliezer obtained a bachelor’s degree in biology from Yeshiva University. In his undergraduate studies, he researched IPLA2-6A-associated neurodegeneration in Drosophila melanogaster and gained experience in confocal microscopy and image analysis, and fruit fly-associated assays. He joined FPS as a postbaccalaureate research fellow, where his work will focus on translational research aspects of the...

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Eliezer Heller, B.S. poses for a photo

Shen-Huan Liang, Ph.D.

Visiting Fellow

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Education:

Ph.D., Pathobiology, Brown University

Shen-Huang (Stacy) completed her Ph.D. under the mentorship of Richard Bennett, specializing in fungal genetics and pathogenesis in Candida albicans. In the FPS, Stacy will be investigating the regulatory roles of lipid mediators during systemic candidiasis.

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Ashira Lubkin, M.D., Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Education:

M.D., Ph.D., New York University
B.S., Columbia University

Ashira worked as a research associate at Rockefeller University in the lab of Ralph Steinman. She obtained her Ph.D. and M.D. from NYU, where she studied the pathogenesis of pore forming leukocidins from Staphylococcus aureus in the lab of Dr. Victor Torres. Her research at FPS focuses on the relationship between excessive type 1 inflammation and mucosal candidiasis. She is interested in defining...

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Sebastian Ochoa, M.D.

Clinical Fellow, Allergy and Immunology

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Education:

M.D., CES University School, Medellin, Colombia

Sebastian trained as an internist at Georgetown University Hospital and is currently a clinical fellow in Allergy and Immunology at NIAID. His clinical and research interests include immunoregulatory disorders and primary immune deficiency. His work at FPS focuses on better understanding the genetics and molecular mechanisms that underlie autoimmunity in patients with APECED.

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Sebastian Ochoa, M.D.

Joe Pechacek, M.S., M.D.

Clinical Fellow, Infectious Diseases

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Education:

Residency, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Pittsburg Medical Center
M.D., Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
M.S., Georgetown University
B.S., Biology, The George Washington University

Joe joins FPS with an interest in clinical research and in elucidating host factors driving susceptibility to fungal infection to learn how to better manage patients with complex fungal infections, especially in the context of immune dysregulation.

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Brendan Snarr, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow

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Education:

Ph.D., McGill University
B.S., Biochemistry, University of Victoria

Brendan studied the immune response to pulmonary Aspergillus infections and evaluating novel therapeutics against microbial biofilms during his doctoral research. At FPS, Brendan will be investigating the neuroinflammatory responses against fungal meningoencephalitis.

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Brendan Snarr, Ph.D.

Taura Webb, C.R.N.P.

Nurse

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Education:

M.S., Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate, Bellarmine University

Taura comes to FPS with a clinical background, working with genitourinary cancers and, more recently, nephrology consultation service with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, focusing on nephrological complications from varying underlying disorders. Her work will focus on the clinical care of patients with inherited and acquired susceptibilities to fungal disease...

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Andrew Wishart, M.Sc.

Contractor

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Education:

B.Sc. (Honors), M.Sc., Medical Biochemistry, University of Cape Town

Andrew focused his educational studies on secreted biomarkers in cancer. He then moved to the United States, where he worked as a research technician in the Oudin Lab at Tufts University, investigating drivers of breast cancer metastasis. During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Andrew worked as a clinical genomic technologist at the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, where he...

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Andrew Wishart, M.Sc.

Former Research Group Members

  • Michael Abers, M.D., Assistant Clinical Investigator, Chief, Opportunistic Bacterial Pathogenesis Unit, LCIM, NIAID, NIH
  • Timothy Break, Scientist I, Meso Scale Diagnostics, Rockville, Maryland
  • Amanda Collar, M.D.-Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, New Mexico
  • Gregory Constantine, M.D., Staff Clinician, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases (LPD), NIAID, NIH
  • Shiva Deljookorani, B.S., Medical School, University of Maryland
  • Jigar Desai, M.S., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack University Medical Center, New Jersey
  • Rebecca Drummond, Birmingham Fellow, Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy / Institute of Microbiology and Infection, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK
  • Elise Ferré, MPH, PA-C, Clinical Analyst, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), FDA, Maryland
  • Yannis Hadjiyannis, B.Sc., Medical School, The Ohio State University College of Medicine
  • Ahnika Kline, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology; Associate Director, Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, UCSD, California
  • Mukil Natarajan, Medical Officer, Office of Antimicrobial Products, Center for Drug Evaluation, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland
  • Vasileios Oikonomou, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Italy
  • Stacey Rose, Assistant Professor, Department of Infectious Diseases, Associate Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
  • Monica Schmitt, C.R.N.P., Clinical Analyst, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), FDA, Maryland
  • Daisuke Yamanaka, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Japan
  • Marissa Zarakas, D.D.S., M.D., Internal Medicine Resident, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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