In the United States, ticks are responsible for spreading most cases of vector-borne diseases, including Lyme disease and anaplasmosis. Our laboratory studies the mechanisms that ticks use to harbor and transmit human pathogens. Using a combination of molecular, cellular, immunological, metabolic, and biochemical approaches, we are investigating the role of the tick’s immune system in disease transmission.

We are part of the Lyme and Tickborne Diseases Research and Education Institute (LTDBI) in the Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.