The Herbert Lab
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Due to an inherent fascination with parasitic helminths, De’Broski R. Herbert earned a B.S. in Microbiology from Xavier University of Louisiana (1994) and a Ph.D.in Immunology from Thomas Jefferson Medical College (2000). His thesis work demonstrated a critical role for IL-5, B-1 lymphocytes, and eosinophils in host-protective immunity against Strongyloides stercoralis (J Immunol. 2000 Oct 15;165(8):4544-51).
As part of a life-long dream, De’Broski spent several years in South Africa to complete his post-doctoral training at the University of Cape Town in the laboratory of Frank Brombacher Ph.D. This resulted in seminal work that demonstrated IL-4/IL-13-driven alternative macrophage activation controls lethal immunopathology during Schistosoma mansoni infection (Immunity. 2004 May;20 (5):623-35).
Subsequently, he joined the laboratory of Fred. D. Finkelman M.D. and published multiple studies focused on the importance of IL-4/IL-13 in driving host-protection against parasitic helminthes through direct regulation of tissue macrophage function (J Immunol. 2010 Jun 1;184(11):6438-46) and mucosal epithelia (J Exp Med. 2009 Dec 21;206(13):2947-57).
As principal investigator of his independent laboratory at Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation, his work focused upon elucidating mechanisms of innate Type 2 cytokine regulation by Trefoil factor family proteins (J Exp Med. 2012 Mar 12;209 (3):607-22) and immunosuppressivemacrophage subsets in the context of helminth infection and allergic inflammation (Eur J Immunol. 2011 Jul;41(7):2000-9, Am J Pathol. 2012 May;180(5):2001-8).
Currently positioned as associate professor of Infectious Immunology in the Department of Pathobiology at UPENN, his laboratory is investigating mechanisms of host protection against helminthes, Type 2 inflammation, and the resolution of chronic mucosal inflammation in several model systems.
Heather Rossi is a research associate who received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Florida in 2008. In 2021 by way of collaborative exchange, she joined the Herbert lab to bring new expertise in pain and sensory processing. She helps us to better understand how pain-sensing neurons called “nociceptors” detect invasion and damage, communicate with the cells of the immune system to respond to these threats and contribute to resolution when the threat has passed. Of particular interest are the potential direct interactions between parasites, which are able to get into the body with little awareness from the host, and the nociceptors monitoring tissue for external threats. Heather also brings additional skills in scientific writing and editing to help the lab achieve their funding and publication goals.
Where are you from?
Heather moved a lot when she was growing up. She's lived in seven
states
in the US (TN, PA, NJ, GA, NC, FL, and IA) plus one other country (Okinawa, Japan)
What is your favorite hangout place or favorite thing to do?
Heather enjoys exploring
art museums and festivals, going to live concerts (recent favorites were Muse and Radiohead), and hanging
at home doing yoga and puzzles with her cats, Bernard and Clayton
What is your prior degree/training?
PhD in Neuroscience from the University of
Florida (Interdisciplinary Program in the Biomedical Sciences) in 2008, Pain Training Program and Post-doc
at the University of Iowa (2009-2014)
What is your career aspiration?
To come to a more wholistic understanding of how pain
is regulated, so that we can develop better therapies and improve quality of life for patients
Li-Yin is a research associate who received her Ph.D. in Immunology at UC Davis before joining Herbert lab. Her primary interest is in the interaction between immune cells and epithelia in the airway. Li-Yin’s work focused on how immune cells and soluble factors derived from them, such as Trefoil Factors, can promote pulmonary tissue repair after infectious and/or non-infectious insults.
In 2016 Li-Yin decided to take on an exciting opportunity and moved with the lab to Penn. Since then her work also expanded to areas related to lung progenitor cells and how Trefoil factors fit into the big picture of pulmonary regeneration.
Where are you from?
Taipei, Taiwan
What is your favorite hangout place or favorite thing to do?
When not at work, Li-Yin likes reading, hiking, bouldering and spending time with her cat Kallisto. She
is also an avid baseball fan who is always down for going to a ball game.
What is your prior degree/training?
B.S.- Zoology, National Taiwan University; M.S.-
Immunology, NTU; Ph.D.- Immunology, UC Davis
What is your career aspiration?
To work on subjects that make an impact.
Fungai recently attained a PhD in Clinical Science and Immunology from the University of Cape Town, South Africa (2022). He joined the Herbert lab for postdoctoral research and training. His main research interests lie in immunology, particularly the influence of helminth infections on mammalian immunity. Under the mentorship of Dr. Herbert, Fungai aims to develop further scientific skills to conduct robust and translational immunology research that pushes boundaries.
Where are you from?
Harare, Zimbabwe
What is your favorite hangout place or favorite thing to do?
When outside the lab, Fungai enjoys hiking!
What is your prior degree/training?
BSc (Hons) – Microbiology & Biochemistry, University of Namibia
MPath – Haematological Pathology, Stellenbosch University
pgDip – Vaccinology, Institut Pasteur
PhD – Clinical Science & Immunology, University of Cape Town
What is your career aspiration?
Research Scientist
Juan has recently joined the Herbert lab as a postdoctoral researcher of the Biomedical Postdoctoral
Program. Born and raised in Mexico city, Juan earned his PhD degree in Biomedical Sciences from Rutgers
School of Graduate Studies, Health Sciences Newark. Juan has a deep interest in understanding the
crosstalk between neurons and immune cells at barrier sites in the context of helminth infections. To
achieve this goal, Juan will be co-mentored by Dr. De’Broski Herbert and Dr. Ishmail Abdus-Saboor
Where are you from?
Mexico City, Mexico
What is your favorite hangout place or favorite thing to do?
Juan enjoys watching
Sci-Fi movies, listening to indie music, and playing video games all-day long with his boyfriend
What is your prior degree/training?
PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Rutgers, School
of Graduate Studies
What is your career aspiration?
Develop independent research program in
neuro-immune interactions at mucosal sites affected by helminths
Dr. Olufemi Akinkuotu is enthusiastic about being impactful in the study of parasites. He's conducted various novel molecular epidemiological studies on the zoonotic protozoans Cryptosporidium and Giardia. Dr. Olufemi Akinkuotu was an assistant professor, teaching parasites of veterinary importance to students of a federal University in Nigeria. Dr. Olufemi Akinkuotu is currently exploring the fields of parasite genetics and immunology in terms of transgenesis and immunogenetics of Strongyloides species under the mentorship of Professor's De'Broski Herbert and James Lok. Dr. Olufemi Akinkuotu is happily married to Augustina and blessed with two beautiful boys, Christopher and David.
Where are you from?
Nigeria
What is your favorite hangout place or favorite thing to do?
Olufemi enjoys spending time with his family - chasing his kids around the home!
What is your prior degree/training?
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
MSc. (Veterinary
Parasitology)
PhD (Veterinary Parasitology)
What is your career aspiration?
Parasite Epidemiologist and Geneticist
Ulrich is currently a Postdoctoral researcher at The Herbert Lab who obtained his Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Yaoundé 1 (Cameroon) in 2022. His research focused on evaluation of the preventive and immunomodulatory activities of praziquantel and medicinal plants-derived compounds in a murine model of schistosomiasis.
Where are you from?
Ulrich is from Bandenkop, a small village of Cameroon's west region. He grew up in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
What is your favorite hangout place or favorite thing to do?
Outside of lab, Ulrich enjoys playing and watching soccer, listening to cameroonian and french musics,
playing video games, and carrying out charitable activities.
What is your prior degree/training?
B.S. in Animal Biology from University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon
M.S. in Physiology from University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon
Ph.D. in Physiology from University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon
What is your career aspiration?
To develop a vaccine against one or more helminth diseases, Become a Professor of Immunology, and build an
internationally recognized research Center.
As an undergraduate student at Colgate University, Camila's research focused on the effects of plasticizers on behavior, reproduction, and growth of C. elegans. Currently, she is a part of UPenn's Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Health Program, hoping to continue her studies to prepare to attend medical school.
Camila is currently working as a research technician in the lab, her hope is to gain valuable techniques and help in conducting experiments.
Where are you from?
Miami, FL
What is your favorite hangout place or favorite thing to do?
Camila enjoys exploring
cultural centers and museums with friends. During her free time, she enjoys reading and hanging out with
her dog, Bella.
What is your prior degree/training?
B.A. in Biology and Spanish, Colgate University
What is your career aspiration?
Becoming a medical physician
Chris comes to Penn after spending his undergraduate years at the University of Pittsburgh where he studied Microbiology. He has previously looked at the microbiome of some of the Lingo receptor knockout mice as well as re-developed multiple allergy models for the lab. He shifts around helping multiple projects such as work on cellular sources of IL-33, and culturing human macrophages. He currently heads a project looking at helminth-infected humans and levels of trefoils.
Where are you from?
Holmes, PA
What is your favorite hangout place or favorite thing to do?
Chris enjoys training
for and running road races. He is also an avid golfer and skier. And when its time to relax, he enjoys
craft beer and reading or watching Sci-Fi/Fantasy.
What is your prior degree/training?
B.S. in Microbiology, University of
Pittsburgh
M.S. in Biostatistics from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
What is your career aspiration?
Gaining experience in the Herbert lab
to see where I want to go with my career
My main project in lab involves studying global human immune responses to helminths in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute for Medical Research. This includes working with some human patient samples from our collaborators. The samples are from school aged children who are either infected or uninfected with different helminths. This work has also led me to some cell culture work with a human macrophage line to look at myeloid cytokine responses.
I am also working a project that looks at the role of cell-specific IL-33 in the context of colitis or in the context of a Nippostrongylus infection.
In the past I have collaborated with Dan Beiting of Penn to develop a microbiome profile of some of our mice. He has a great blog that I was able to utilize to help a somewhat inexperienced coder along the process of using some of the software required to generate this data. The link to his blog can be found here: Cloud computing for metagenomics – Part I
I have re-established allergy models for papain and house dust mite (HDM) for the lab. The lab has a few outlets potentially into lung epithelium and currently we run a core that measures lung functionality.
A veterinarian by training, Imani is currently a second year postdoctoral fellow within the University of Laboratory Animal Resources at Penn. Her current clinical interests include public health, infectious disease epidemiology, and preclinical medical device and diagnostic testing including prototype studies and product evaluation in large animal surgical models. In the Herbert lab, Imani hopes to elucidate the role of TRPV1 expressing sensory neurons in the completion of the Strongyloides ratti and Nippostrongylus brasiliensis life cycles.
Where are you from?
Las Vegas, NV
What is your favorite hangout place or favorite thing to do?
Imani is an aspiring
herpetologist and botanist. She is either knee deep in soil planting new plants or researching bioactive
terrariums for her reptiles.
What is your prior degree/training?
BS Veterinary Science, University of Nevada, Reno, 2016
DVM, Tuskegee University, 2020
Comparative Medicine Surgical Internship, Tufts University, 2020
What is your career aspiration?
Imani's goal is to become a diploverlayomate of the American
College of Laboratory Animal Medicine and to continue to participate in the global community through
public health research endeavors.
Annabel first joined the Herbert lab as a technician in 2018. She primarily worked to create and streamline a RNA sequencing pipeline in our lab. That task spread her over the many projects we have going on in the lab. She left the lab after matriculating to the Cell and Molecular Biology (CAMB) Program here at Penn. It is from there that she has decided to join the Herbert lab to do her thesis work. Her project revolves around helminth-pathogen and host interactions at a transcriptional level.
Where are you from?
Wilmington, DE
What is your favorite hangout place or favorite thing to do?
Exploring the wilderness/nearby parks with family and pet dogs
What is your prior degree/training?
B.S. in Chemistry from the University of
Pittsburgh
M.S. in Biostatistics from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
What is your career aspiration?
Scientific Researcher/ Science Advocate
Adriana joined the Herbert Lab in September of 2022 as a third year graduate student in Penn’s Biology Department. She is generally interested in evolutionary biology, disease ecology, parasitology and evolutionary immunology. She is now developing a project centering neuro-immunology, investigating how helminths may regulate neuronal activation.
Where are you from?
New Haven, CT
What is your favorite hangout place or favorite thing to do?
Adriana enjoys dining
out in the city - trying new dishes and restaurants, binging horror movies/shows, and hiking and kayaking
along the Schuylkill.
What is your prior degree/training?
B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University
What is your career aspiration?
University Professor/Researcher
Evonne is a graduate student in the Immunology Graduate Group (IGG) in the Biomedical Graduate Studies (BGS) Program at UPenn. Evonne’s scientific interests include studying neuroimmune interactions, specifically, how neurogenic inflammation is initiated, downmodulated, and tuned appropriately to drive innate immune phenotypes. In the Herbert lab, Evonne hopes to utilize models of Type II inflammation to understand how sensory neurons contribute to the onset and resolution of inflammatory events.
Evonne has been selected as Co-Chair for Outreach for the Immunology Graduate Student Association (IGA) Board for the 2020-2021 school year.
Where are you from?
Frederick, MD
What is your favorite hangout place or favorite thing to do?
Evonne loves to draw and
read manga/ comic books when not deep diving into scientific literature. Outside of lab/ their home Evonne
likes to hang out with their friends exploring the bars and restaurants around Philly
What is your prior degree/training?
B.S. Hampton University
What is your career aspiration?
Scientific Researcher/ Science Advocate
Jay is a 2022 NASEM Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellow in the Immunology Graduate Group (IGG) at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. His current thesis research in the lab explores the mechanisms by which sensory neurons shape allergic Type 2 inflammation in the sinonasal tract. These scientific interests developed from formative research experiences in cellular & molecular neuroscience as a MARC undergraduate fellow at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, as well as extensive training in mucosal immunology and neuroimmunology as a staff scientist at UC San Francisco. Despite facing innumerable challenges as a first-gen, Puerto Rican, gay, and neurodivergent neuroimmunologist, he is a founder, a student leader, and a justice, equity, diversity & inclusion (JEDI) advocate.
Where are you from?
Aibonito, Puerto Rico
What is your favorite hangout place or favorite thing to do?
Outside of lab, Jay
enjoys running, exploring art museums, and trying out new restaurants and bars around Philly with friends.
He is a proud cat dad to Simón, who gets to be most spoiled cat in West Philadelphia.
What is your prior degree/training?
B.S. in Molecular and Cell Biology, University of
Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus
What is your career aspiration?
Jay is thrilled to continue training in
neuroimmunology and explore career opportunities that combine his strengths in scientific leadership,
advocacy and research to ultimately drive scientific and societal innovation.
Chris Pastore
Chris Pastore was a Research Specialist and lab technician. During his time here, he assisted in many projects while spearheading research regarding the cell-specific role of IL-33 in the oral Toxoplasma gondii model. He is now a PhD student at the University of Virginia’s Biomedical Sciences Program (BIMS).
Bonnie Douglas, PhD
Bonnie worked on a transgenic strain of S. ratti (Hulk) and the T cell
response to helminth infection. She now works as a Scientific Affairs Manager at PRIME Education,
LLC.
Jay Ortiz, PhD
Dr. Ortiz spent his time in the Herbert lab studying the role of tuft cells in allergic inflammation within the sinonasal tract, which involved developing a mouse model of allergic-induced sneezing. As a newly minted graduate, he is an incoming Senior Associate Consultant at Clarion.
JoonHyung Park
Joonhyung Park was a technician in the lab investigating TFF3/LINGO2
interactions. He is now pursuing a PhD in Pathobiology at Columbia
University.
Karl Herbine
Karl Herbine was a technician in the lab working on a number of
projects concerning LINGOs and Trefoil Factors in the context of Type 2 immunity. He is now a PhD candidate
at Thomas Jefferson University - department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology.
Kelly Zullo, PhD
Dr. Zullo is known as the lab’s first graduate student - graduating in
2020 with a PhD in Immunology. She pioneered a project on LINGO3 and is now working as a
consultant.
Lucas Ethgen
Lucas was a lab technician working with former PhD candidate Dr. Nicole Belle. He has now moved on to pursue a medical career.
Nicole M. Belle, MD PhD
Nicole drove forward projects in mucosal immunology studying TFF3 and
its receptor LINGO2. She has started up her own lab focusing on mucosal inflammation and repair in the
Department of Medicine’s Division of Gastroenterology at Penn.
Olivia Lenz, DVM
Olivia Lenz is a veterinarian by training and joined the lab during
residency. She has since become a Fellow in Penn’s Biomedical Postdoctoral Program where she hopes to
develop a ‘one health’ approach to bridge the gap between human and vet medicine.
Ray Saunders Jr, PhD
Dr. Saunders joined the lab as a PennPORT fellow and is now an
Assistant Professor at Lincoln University.
Sriram Srivasta, PhD
Dr. Srivatsa led a project on TFF3 and mucosal healing. He is now a
Post Doc in the Jim Riley Lab at Penn.
Yingbiao Ji, PhD
Dr. Ji was a Post Doctoral Researcher in the lab, studying how trefoil
factors activate EGFR during inflammation and immunity. He is now a Senior Research Scientist at Frontage
Laboratories.
Imani Nicolis, DVM
Imani Nicolis is a veterinarian by training completing a postdoctoral fellowship in laboratory animal medicine at Penn. She joined the lab as a part of her training for a year-long rotation. During her time here, she completed research focusing on the role of group 2 innate lymphoid cells in parasite clearance and subsequent tissue repair utilizing a Nippostrongylus brasiliensis model. She will remain at the university to complete her final year of clinical training for specialty board certification.
Sheldon Davis
Summer Student
Nicole Oey
Summer Student
Billy Wilkerson
Summer Student
Kay Katada
CAMB (DSRB) 3rd Rotation
Molly Weiner
CAMB (DSRB) 2nd Rotation
Reed Rankin
Summer Student
Simon Zhuo
IGG 1st Rotation
Kevin Mears
CAMB ＋ MV 3rd Rotation
Josetta Adams
IGG 2nd Rotation
Montserrat Arreguin
IGG 2nd Rotation
Julia Flores
CAMB 1st Rotation
Andrea Wong
Levy Lab - IGG 2nd Rotation
Sarah Maddux
Silverman Lab -IGG 3rd Rotation
Devon Tucker
Fall 2019 – Summer 2020
Nisha Vora
Drexel University | Summer - Fall 2019
Essence Vinson
Coppin State University | Summer 2019
Joshua Whang
Amherst College | Summer 2019
Joshua Worth
Summer 2019 ＋ Summer 2018
Rachel Cohen
Summer 2018
Tanner Young
Summer 2017
Elizabeth Collins
PENN Vet - Summer of 2018 via NIH-BI
Nora Okwara-Lovette
Columbia University | Summer 2018
