The Gonzalez-Juarrero laboratory focuses on the immune pathogenesis and development of aerosol therapies for mycobacterial diseases with primary emphasis on tuberculosis (TB) and non-tuberculous (NTM) diseases. Specifically, we want to understand how to enhance the antimicrobial activity in the infected host and characterize how these therapies affect the immunopathology of the disease, with an end goal of improved treatment therapies against multidrug-resistant infections.
We have developed several experimental animal models that allows for testing of aerosolized anti-TB and anti-NTM drugs. We test for efficacy, toxicity and pharmacokinetics of immunomodulators/antibiotics and study the temporal and spatial relationships of immune biomarkers during the stages of disease and therapy. Studies are done by a team of research scientists in close collaboration with other scientists in the mycobacteria research laboratories and serve to build a new generation of scientists by training graduate and undergraduate students.
Publications
Laylaa Ramos, Joan K. Lunney, Mercedes Gonzalez-Juarrero
Disease Models & Mechanisms 2020 13: dmm045740 doi: 10.1242/dmm.045740 Published 15 September 2020
Pearce C, Ruth MM, Pennings LJ, Wertheim HFL, Walz A, Hoefsloot W, Ruesen C, Muñoz Gutiérrez J, Gonzalez-Juarrero M, van Ingen J.
J Antimicrob Chemother. 2020 Jul 1;75(7):1889-1894. doi: 10.1093/jac/dkaa110.
Stewart IE, Lukka PB, Liu J, Meibohm B, Gonzalez-Juarrero M, Braunstein MS, Lee RE, Hickey AJ.
Pharm Res. 2019 Jul 18;36(9):136. doi: 10.1007/s11095-019-2666-8.
Rathi C, Lukka PB, Wagh S, Lee RE, Lenaerts AJ, Braunstein M, Hickey A, Gonzalez-Juarrero M, Meibohm B.
Tuberculosis (Edinb). 2019 Jan;114:119-122. doi: 10.1016/j.tube.2018.12.006. Epub 2018 Dec 31.
Upadhyay R, Sanchez-Hidalgo A, Wilusz CJ, Lenaerts AJ, Arab J, Yeh J, Stefanisko K, Tarasova NI, Gonzalez-Juarrero M.
Sci Rep. 2018 Nov 9;8(1):16610. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-35023-0.
more publications
People
Zohaib Ali
PhD Candidate
Fulbright Scholar
Image of foamy macrophages from the granuloma of a mouse lung infected with Mtb. The lipids are fluorescent red, the bacilli green, and the cell nuclei are stained blue.
Immunohistochemistry showing IL-10 expression (brown) in Mtb infected lung tissue.
Multiplex immunohistochemistry for different cellular markers in and around a necrotic granuloma.
Multiplex immunohistochemistry in the lung tissue section from a balb/c mouse with Mtb. Each unique color is indicative of a unique cell type.