My laboratory focuses on the study of Borrelia burgdorferi and pathogenic Leptospira sp. The objective of my research program for Lyme disease is to continue understanding the interactions of tick transmitted B. burgdorferi with the mammalian immune system as it can shed light onto new pathways that can be targeted for development of marketable biologics. We use a number of microbiological, biochemical, molecular and immunology techniques to understand these mechanisms at a fundamental level; the biomarkers identified in these studies are then applied to pre-clinical development of new diagnostics and vaccines. The same scientific method is applied to understanding host-pathogen interactions of L. interrogans. 

I am known in the field of Lyme disease research as an expert developer of oral vaccines based on commensal bacteria (i.e. Lactobacillus sp. and E. coli). For Leptospirosis my laboratory has contributed with further development of mouse models of disease.

Key words: Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia, Leptospira, Lyme disease, Leptospirosis, tick-borne diseases, vaccines, diagnostic assay, spirochete, Ixodes scapularis, Peromyscus leucopus, immune response