Lab Members

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases) and of Microbiology and Immunology

Bio

Elizabeth Egan, MD, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Pediatrics. 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 sees patients on the Pediatric Infectious Diseases service at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital. Her research is focused on understanding how host factors from the human erythrocyte influence the biology and pathogenesis of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.
Postdoctoral Scholar, 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.

Life Science Research Professional, Pediatrics - Infectious Diseases

Nana Ansuah is a life science research professional I. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Biology at Stanford University in 2021. In the Egan lab, Nana Ansuah is assisting with efforts to identify potential Plasmodium falciparum interacting ligands for erythrocyte factor CD55 which has been identified as a key RBC factor for P. falciparum infection. She is also assisting a postdoctoral fellow in the lab- Marilou Tetard- with developing a forward genetic screen to identify novel RBC factors for P.  falciparum infection. Nana Ansuah enjoys going on long drives with friends, watching Chinese and Korean TV shows and listening to West African music. 

Melanie Flores Espiritu
Research technician, Microbiology and Immunology
Postdoctoral Scholar, 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, she is exploring the role of erythrocyte factor CD44 and its involvement in Plasmodium falciparum invasion. Angel is currently supported by the NIH T32.

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.

Undergraduate, Biology

Alumni

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