Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases

Nutman Research Group

The focus of the Helminth Immunology Section is the study of host resistance and immune regulation in parasitic helminth infections of global importance. The ultimate goal of this work is prevention of infection and disease. Our work focuses on both the host response to helminth infection and the molecular basis for parasitism in helminths and the prototypical responses they induce.

Photo of Nutman Research Group Members

Helminth Immunology Section 2022 Front Row (left to right) Robert Thompson, MS., Pedro Gazzinelli Guimaraes, Ph.D., Jiana Blaha, MHS, Elise O’Connell, MD, Gayatri Sanku, MPH, Top Row (left to right) Joseph Kubofick, Pablo Bara- Garcia, MS, Sasisekhar Bennuru, Ph.D., Thomas Nutman, M.D., Nina Tang. Missing from Photo – William Sears, MD, MHS, Janitzio Guzman, M.D.

Credit: NIAID

Thomas Nutman, M.D.

Lab Chief, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases
Chief, Helminth Immunology Section

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Provides direct clinical care to patients at NIH Clinical Center

Education:

A.B., Brown University, Providence, RI

M.D., University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH

Dr. Nutman received his A.B. from Brown University and his M.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He did an internal medicine residency at New York University (Bellevue) and postdoctoral training in the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases (LPD). He is board certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology. He also holds a diploma/certificate in tropical medicine and...

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A headshot of Thomas Nutman in a white shirt.

Sasisekhar Bennuru, Ph.D.

Associate Scientist, Helminth Immunology Section

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Education:

Ph.D., 2005, Anna University, India

Dr. Bennuru received his Ph.D in 2005 from the Center for Biotechnology, Anna University in Chennai, India. He joined NIH in 2005 as a post-doctoral research fellow with Dr. Thomas Nutman in the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, primarily working on cellular and molecular aspects of human filarial infections and has been a staff scientist since 2013.

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Sasisekhar Bennuru, Ph.D.

Jiana L. Blaha, MHS (She/Her/Hers)

NIH/NIAID Postbac IRTA

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

Education:

MHS., 2021, Johns Hopkins University
B.S., 2020, American University

Languages Spoken: Spanish

Jiana research interests include infectious diseases, tropical diseases, preventive medicine, and environmental health. Under Dr. Elise O'Connell, Jiana conducts research related to invasive cestode infections, specifically neurocysticercosis. Some of her research projects include further optimizing a unique antigen detection assays for T. Solium, qPCR and antigen testing for T. Solium, and...

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Pablo Efrain Bara-Garcia, M.S. (He/Him/His)

Postbaccalaureate Fellow

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Education:

M.S in Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University,
B.S in Biology, The Catholic University of America

Languages Spoken: Spanish

Premed student interested in the host immune response to infectious diseases. My main project focuses on the role of interleukin-11 in the host immune response to helminth infection.

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Portrait of Pablo Efrain Bara-Garcia, M.S.

Pedro H. Gazzinelli Guimaraes, Ph.D.

Staff Scientist, Helminth Immunology Section

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

Education:

Ph.D., 2014, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil

M.S., 2010, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Dr. Gazzinelli Guimaraes received his master’s degree in Parasitology in 2010 from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and received his Ph.D. in 2014 from the same university. This was followed by a consulting training at the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI) based at Imperial College - London, UK in 2015, where he then became the supervisor of the Schistosomiasis Consortium for Operational Research and Evaluation (SCORE) project in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, managed by the University of Georgia–USA. He joined NIH in 2016 as a post-doctoral research fellow with Dr. Thomas Nutman in the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases (LPD), NIAID. He is currently a Staff Scientist in LPD.

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Photo of Pedro H. Gazzinelli Guimaraes

Janitizio Guzman, M.D.

Infectious Diseases Fellow

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

Education:

Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency, University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine, Tulsa, OK
Doctor of Medicine, University of Texas School of Medicine at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
Bachelor of Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Languages Spoken: Spanish

Janitzio is a combined adult/pediatric infectious diseases fellow, with an interest in the immunopathogenesis of helminthic infections. He is working in Elise O’Connell’s group to study the immune response to subarachnoid neurocysticercosis, including the role of autoantibody formation in disease. His clinical interests include parasitic infection, neglected tropical diseases, and infections...

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A headshot of Janitzio Guzman in a suit and a tie.

Joseph Kubofcik, B.S.

Biologist

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Education:

Bucknell University, B.S.

I run and maintain the reference laboratory test for the detection of filarial-specific antibodies in serum in the laboratory. I am interested in further improving our laboratory capabilities to improve the diagnosis of filarial and related helminth infections.

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Portrait of Joseph Kubofcik, B.S.

Elise M. O’Connell, M.D. (She/Her/Hers)

Chief, Clinical Parasitology Unit
Associate Research Physician

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

Education:

M.D., Loyola University Chicago

Dr. O’Connell received her medical degree from Loyola University of Chicago. She is a board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases and completed residency at Indiana University and fellowship at the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID/NIH).

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Elise M. O’Connell, M.D.

Gayatri Sanku, MPH (She/Her/Hers)

GU-NIH Microbiology and Immunology, Ph.D. Candidate

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

Education:

Ph.D. candidate, Georgetown University
MPH Epidemiology, BS Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Chicago

Within my thesis project, I focus on parasite-viral coinfections. I am interested in characterizing immune responses to common viral infections (cytomegalovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and SARS-CoV-2) and mechanisms by which filarial helminth co-infection may impact T-cell function and dendritic cell activity.

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Portrait of Gayatri Sanku, MPH

William J. Sears, M.D., MHS (He/Him/His)

Infectious Disease Fellow

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Education:

Med/Peds Residency, Indiana University 
M.D., University of Louisville School of Medicine
MHS, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

Languages Spoken: Spanish

I am a physician scientist interested in applying genomics and molecular biology to improve our understanding of parasitological phenomena and their clinical manifestations.

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Robert Thompson, M.S. (He/Him/His)

Biologist

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

Education:

MS., 1995, John Hopkins University

Languages Spoken: Spanish

I am studying the initial contact of Brugia malayi whole worm antigen preps with human lymphatic endothelial cells and examining the effects of this contact on signalling molecules on these cells to understand what initial contacts do that make the changes that end up resulting in inflammation and pathology in lymphatic filariasis.

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Portrait of Robert Thompson, M.S.
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