Meet our FIRST Faculty

Ashira Blazer, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology
University of Maryland School of Medicine
FIRST Cluster Area: Microbiology/Immunology/Infectious Disease

Dr. Blazer's research interests are in studying the biologic and genetic determinants of systemic lupus erythematosus severity in patients of African ancestry. Her current work focuses on mutations in the Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) gene, which are exceptionally common in those of West African heritage and increase the risk of kidney and heart disease. She has forged multiple international collaborations with rheumatology programs in West Africa, and through this work has shown that APOL1 variant carriers with SLE experience hypertension, advanced kidney disease, and tissue injury. By studying the interplay between chronic inflammation, cellular function, and APOL1 gene expression, Dr. Blazer aims to provide personalized treatment options to the most vulnerable of patients. See Dr. Blazer's faculty profile for more.

Jose Lemme, PhD

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Tropical Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health
University of Maryland School of Medicine
FIRST Cluster Area: Microbiology/Immunology/Infectious Disease

Dr. Lemme is a mucosal immunologist interested in understanding the processes underlying host immunity at mucosal surfaces in both health and disease. His research focuses on intestinal hemostasis, mechanisms of protection against enteric infection, and tools to prevent illness and immunopathologies in the pediatric population. He aims to understand the mechanisms regulating innate and adaptive host defenses at the gut mucosa during steady state and disease, vaccination, infection, and breastfeeding.

Dr. Lemme has developed a human intestinal model that integrates enteroids (stem cell-derived intestinal epithelial cells) and immune cells. By combining novel ex vivo biological systems with cutting-edge omic technologies, high-resolution microscopy, and advanced immunology and cell biology approaches, Dr. Lemme is dissecting the molecular processes involved in maintaining the intestinal barrier and host immunity to enteric infections and harmful signals. The knowledge generated from his research is crucial for informing vaccine design and the development of novel immune therapies. See Dr. Lemme's faculty profile for more information .

Diana Elizondo, PhD

Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
FIRST Cluster Area: Microbiology/Immunology/Infectious Disease

Dr. Elizondo’s research program is geared towards understanding the crosstalk between the immune system and metabolism in severe obesity-driven complications. She is currently working on the delineation of identified myeloid cell subpopulations’ role in adipose tissue low-grade chronic inflammation and tissue dysfunction in scenarios of diet-induced obesity. Her research is designed to take advantage of a multidisciplinary approach merging basic immunology, genetics and endocrinology fields to establish the underpinning molecular mechanisms involved in obesity-driven metabolic dysfunction. Findings from these works will grant access to novel cell-specific candidate markers for development of immunotherapeutic approaches targeting severe obesity comorbidities.

Gretchen M. Alicia Gutierrez, PhD

Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
FIRST Cluster Area: Cancer Biology

Dr. Alicea is a cancer biologist with specialized training in bioengineering molecular biology and translational research, focused on understanding how the aged tumor microenvironment drives melanoma metastasis and therapy resistance through metabolic rewiring. Aged melanoma patients older than 55 years suffer worse outcomes relative to younger patient, and Dr. Alicea’s work has shown that aging-associated changes in the tumor microenvironment create a unique metabolic landscape that fosters tumor progression and diminishes therapeutic efficacy. By dissecting the metabolic interplay between melanoma cells, the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the aged microenvironment (aged dermal fibroblasts), the Alicea Lab aims to identify key vulnerabilities that can be targeted to improve treatment outcomes in aged patients, with a particular focus on acral melanoma, a rare and aggressive subtype.

In addition to understanding tumor-microenvironment interactions, the Alicea Lab is actively engineering novel receptor systems that are CAR-agnostic and can be incorporated into existing CAR T-cell therapies. These engineered receptors are designed to enhance CAR T-cell infiltration into solid tumors and improve their cytotoxic capabilities, overcoming key barriers that limit the success of adoptive cell therapies in melanoma. Our goal is to develop innovative strategies that optimize CAR T-cell performance, ultimately leading to more effective and durable responses in patients with therapy-resistant melanoma

Cheng-Yu Li, PhD

Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
FIRST Cluster Area: Neuroscience

Dr. Li’s primary research interests lie in the neurogenetics and neuroendocrinology of social behavior, particularly in understanding how the brain processes social cues and translates them into complex behaviors such as aggression, mating, and parenting. His lab at UMBC investigates these phenomena by studying non-traditional model organisms like the African cichlid and mangrove rivulus killifish, which allow for unique insights into the genetic and neurobiological underpinnings of social interaction.

Dr. Li’s work explores how hormonal and genetic factors interact with environmental cues to drive behavior, revealing the evolutionary aspects of sociality in vertebrates. His lab also examines how olfactory and pheromonal signaling contribute to mating and reproductive behaviors, focusing on how these processes differ across species, leading to evolutionary adaptations in social communication systems. This multidisciplinary approach integrates behavioral neuroscience, genetics, and evolutionary biology to better understand how complex social behaviors have developed and how they are regulated on a molecular level. See Dr. Li’s lab website for information.

Amed Ouattara, PhD, MSc, PharmD

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Geographic Medicine, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health
University of Maryland School of Medicine
FIRST Cluster Area: Microbiology/Immunology/Infectious Disease

Dr. Amed Ouattara is a trained molecular epidemiologist and the Director of the Molecular Epidemiology course at UMB. Dr Ouattara is the team leader of The Malaria Preclinical Vaccine Development Unit (MPVD) within the Malaria Research Program at the UMB Center for Vaccine Development. The unit seeks to identify new antigens and assess the potential of novel antigens and adjuvants to induce immune responses that can inhibit parasite function. MPVD evaluates novel proteins and vaccines through rigorous preclinical studies, including liver stage development assays, growth inhibition assays, and standard membrane feeding assays, striving to design new vaccines and enhance their efficacy. See Dr. Ouattara's faculty profile for more information.