about
In the Edelblum Lab, we believe that investigating the intersection between mucosal immunology, cell biology and microbiology will best help us understand the underlying cause of IBD. By visualizing cellular interactions in real time, we aim to provide new insight into the complexities of intestinal immunity. Through our studies, we hope to develop novel strategies to enhance barrier function in IBD patients.
Karen Edelblum, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
With over 20 years combined experience in the fields of gastrointestinal epithelial biology, mucosal immunology and physiology, I have developed expertise in examining immune/epithelial interactions in the context of mucosal homeostasis and disease, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Sara Alonso, Ph.D.
Graduate Student - Molecular Biology, Genetics and Cancer Track, Rutgers
Sara joined the Edelblum Lab in July 2020 with an interest in understanding the molecular mechanisms by which gamma delta IELs are activated in response to changes in the mucosal microenvironment.
Ananya Parthasarathy
Master's student
Ananya rotated in the lab in September 2023, and within a week, she was hooked on mucosal immunology! She is investigating the role of CD47 on gamma delta IEL migration and can't wait to get her hands on some enteroids.
Irving Martínez-Vargas, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Irving came to the lab in October 2023 with an already deep admiration for gamma delta IELs from his PhD at Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional in Mexico City. Now he's putting all that knowledge to good use studying regulatory gamma delta IELs in IBD.
Noah Grunberg
Research Technician
Noah joined the lab in 2024 after pursuing graduate studies at Boston University. After gaining expertise in molecular biology, Noah is looking forward to learning more about cellular immunology and gamma delta IEL/epithelial crosstalk.
Sayra Garcia, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Sayra received her PhD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine focusing on autoimmunity in lupus. Excited to transition to the gut, she will investigate the role of purinergic signaling in the role of gamma delta IELs in the context of gut and neuroinflammation.
Tingting Li, Ph.D.
Instructor
In fall 2024, Tingting made the move 40 blocks north from Weill Cornell where she worked on microbiota metabolism of amino acids in intestinal biology. She joins the lab as our resident microbiota specialist and plans to focus on host/microbiota crosstalk within the IEL compartment.
Ben Pundyk
Clinical Coordinator/Research Assistant
With a background in data analytics, Ben has dabbled in several areas of IBD research. From the analysis of patient data at Mayo Clinic, to helping run the IBD biorepository at NYU, he is excited to oversee our translational studies of IELs in IBD.
Joana Barros-Martins, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Joana returns to her first scientific love of gamma delta T cells after gaining experience in vaccine biology. A graduate of the Silva-Santos and Prinz labs, she joins the lab to investigate the recruitment of peripheral gamma delta T cells to the gut during intestinal inflammation.