Sigal Research

Luis Sigal, DVM, PhD
Principal Investigator

Luis is the PI of the Sigal lab and plays many roles. He is a full professor as well as the vice chair of the department of immunology and microbiology.

Carolina R. Melo-Silva, PhD
Instructor

Carolina is engaged in multiple antiviral innate immunity studies focused on lymph-borne and respiratory viruses. Her research interests include investigating the role of IFN-I-mediated genetic resistance to lymph-borne viruses through the use of CRISPR+iGONAD technology to generate genetically modified mice. Additionally, she explores age- and sex-based differences in susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2. Her work also involves single-cell transcriptional analysis of innate immune cells in the lymph node during viral infection and vaccination. 

Lingjuan Tang
Laboratory Manager

Ling is the backbone of the lab, playing a key role in numerous experiments. She wears many hats, particularly in research involving CRISPR+iGONAD to generate genetically modified mice. Additionally, she contributes to the maintenance of the mouse colony, genotyping of modified strains, and provides support for ongoing experiments as needed.

Edilson Torres-Gonzalez
Research Associate

Edilson is involved in multiple antiviral innate immunity studies of lymph-borne and respiratory viruses. He is also heavily involved in experiments involving the use of CRISPR+iGONAD to generate genetically modified mice.

Oluwatomilola (Tomi) Taiwo, MS
Research Assistant II

Tomi is involved in the maintenance of the mice colony and genotyping of generated genetically modified mice strains. She also assists with ongoing experiments as needed.

Akansha Sharma, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow

Akansha is involved in multiple antiviral innate immunity studies of lymph-borne and respiratory viruses.

Juliana Benitez, PhD Candidate
PhD Student

Juliana is a PhD student in the Sigal lab. She studies the cells that present antigen to CD8 T cells after mRNA-LNP vaccination.

Samita Kafle, PhD Candidate
PhD Student

Samita is a 5th year PhD student who studies the role of different interferons in shaping Coxsackievirus B3 pathogenesis by using genetically modified mouse models. Additionally, she is investigating the protective roles of CD8 T cells induced by mRNA-LNP vaccination during poxvirus infections.

Megan Keller, PhD Candidate
PhD Student

Megan is a PhD student in the Sigal lab. She studies mRNA-LNPs vaccines.