Lab Members

Elizabeth Egan
Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases) and of Microbiology and Immunology

Bio

Elizabeth Egan, MD, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases) and Microbiology & Immunology. She obtained her B.A. at Barnard College in NYC and her MD/PhD from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. Prior to medical school she worked in Will Talbot's lab studying early pattern formation in zebrafish. Her PhD in Matthew Waldor's lab focused on defining essential replication factors for the two Vibrio cholerae chromosomes. As a postdoc in Manoj Duraisingh's lab at Harvard School of Public Health she performed a genetic screen to identify critical host factors for Plasmodium falciparum malaria using red blood cells derived from hematopoietic stem cells. Clinically, she completed training in Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Boston Children's Hospital and now treats patients on the Pediatric Infectious Diseases service at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital. The research in her laboratory focuses on host-pathogen interactions in Plasmodium falciparum malaria, with the goal of discovering critical host and parasite factors that may inform new therapeutic targets and approaches.
Basic Life Research Scientist, Pediatrics - Infectious Diseases

Marilou’s research interest has always been in host-pathogen interactions, working first in Bunyaviruses’s interactions with host cells in Ari Helenius lab (Zurich, Switzerland), and in Pierre-Yves Lozach’s lab (Montreal, Canada), then joining the fascinating field of malaria in Benoit Gamain’s lab (Paris, France) where she completed her Ph.D. degree in 2018. Her work focused on the relationship between hemoglobinopathies and pregnancy-associated malaria. In the Egan lab, Marilou is working on the development of a genetic screen in progenitor cells to identify new host factors important for Plasmodium falciparum. Outside the lab, she’s enjoying a lot exploring the wonderful nature of California through cycling, surfing, hiking and especially climbing.

Postdoctoral Scholar, Infectious Diseases

Praveesh completed his Ph.D. at Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi, India). He has experience in organic chemical synthesis and molecular biology. Under the supervision of Prof. Suman Kumar Dhar, he studied the cell cycle of the malaria parasite (Plasmodium falciparum) and worked on the optimization of water-soluble Artemisinin nanopreparations in the mouse model of malaria (Plasmodium berghei). He also helped in the synthesis and characterization of a novel class of hybrid antimalarial drug, CQ-CFX. In the Egan lab, Praveesh is interested in exploring essential host-parasite interactions taking place at the surface of the red blood cell during invasion. In the long term, he hopes to acquire enough skill to study and develop antimalarial vaccine antigens and improve existing vaccine formulations. He likes old movies and music before the late 90s. He enjoys biking, badminton, and photography.

Postdoctoral Scholar, Infectious Diseases

Amara earned her Ph.D. under the mentorship of Dr. Peter Bradley at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research focused on identifying and characterizing secreted dense granule proteins in the bradyzoite and tachyzoite stages of the opportunistic pathogen Toxoplasma gondii. Her work included understanding the impact these parasite effectors have on modulating the host response. As a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Egan’s laboratory, Amara aims to further investigate host-pathogen interactions, with a particular interest in those between Plasmodium falciparum and human erythrocytes. Outside the lab, she enjoys exploring the outdoors, relaxing at the beach, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Melanie Flores Espiritu
Research technician, Microbiology and Immunology
Basic Life Research Scientist, Pediatrics - Infectious Diseases

Angel has always been curious about infectious diseases and host-pathogen interactions. She obtained her Ph.D. at University of California, Merced. There, as a member of the Jensen lab, she studied the interactions between Toxoplasma gondii parasite and naïve CD8 T cells, and discovered a unique pathway required for CD8 T cell activation and interferon-gamma production in response to T. gondii infections. As a postdoctoral scholar in the Egan lab, joined in 2021, she is exploring the role of erythrocyte factor CD44 and its involvement in Plasmodium falciparum invasion.

Postdoctoral Scholar, Infectious Diseases

Chhaminder joined the lab in January 2023. She completed her PhD in Prof. Swati Patankar’s Lab at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, where she worked towards understanding the intricacies of the protein synthesis process amidst multiple upstream open reading frames in Plasmodium falciparum. During her time at the Patankar lab, she also studied another apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii focusing on translation regulation of bradyzoite differentiation. As a postdoctoral scholar in Egan lab, Chhaminder is interested in exploring the host cell responses to P. falciparum infection of erythroid progenitor cells, including the role played by the parasite effector proteins. 

Ph.D. Student in Microbiology and Immunology, admitted Summer 2019

Daniel is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He earned his bachelor's degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University in 2019. There, he did his undergraduate thesis research on the within-host biological rhythms of Human African Trypanosomiasis. Daniel’s interest in parasitic infectious diseases brought him to the Egan Lab. Here, Daniel is investigating how specific inhibitors against red blood cell proteins have anti-parasitic properties. He hopes to understand critical pathways for P.falciparum invasion as potential host-directed antimalarial targets. Outside of the lab, Daniel likes going to beaches, long-boarding, and spending time with local family and friends.

Tianjian (Tim) Lin
Life science research professional

Tim earned his bachelor's degree in Microbial Biology with Highest Distinction from UC Berkeley in 2023. During his undergraduate, he joined Prof. Fenyong Liu’s lab through the URAP program, where he investigated the relationship between the latent infection of Kaposi’s Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV) and circRNAs. This research experience sparked his deep interest in host-pathogen interactions. In September 2023, Tim joined the Egan lab as a life science research professional. Here, he works closely with Marilou to validate the CRISPR screen through shRNA knockdowns and focuses on exploring the erythropoiesis process and malaria host factors.

Alumni

Mario Gonzalez Ramirez 

Undergraduate Student

Stanford University Class of 2024

Nana Ansuah Peterson    

Life Science Research Professional

Ph.D. Student in Microbiology and Immunology, admitted Autumn 2023

 

Tamar Feldman, Ph.D.

Graduate student

Postdoctoral Researcher in Transfusion Innovation at American Red Cross

 

Emily Ebel, Ph.D.

Graduate student
 
Postdoctoral fellow in Sonnenburg Lab.
 

Christian Nguetse, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Healthcare Consultant at Alcimed

 

Chi Yong Kim, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

R&D Scientist

 

Bàrbara Baro Sastre, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Research Coordinator at Lihir Malaria Elimination

 

Carrie Lin, B.S.

Research Assistant

R&D Scientist

 

Bikash Shakya, Ph.D.

Posdoctoral Fellow

R&D Scientist at Asklepios BioPharmaceuticals

 

Phylicia Aaron, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Associate Scientific Director at Gradalis, Inc