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Alexia Belperron, PhD

Director of STEM Fellowships
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Additional Titles

Research Scientist, Rheumatology

Instructor Mol Biophys & Biochem

Lecturer MCDB

About

Titles

Director of STEM Fellowships

Research Scientist, Rheumatology; Instructor Mol Biophys & Biochem; Lecturer MCDB

Biography

I attended Cornell University and double majored in biochemistry and business management. After graduation I worked for a small start up company developing HIV therapeutics which solidified my love of research. I then attended Dartmouth Medical School where I worked on malaria and toxoplasma parasites and received my PhD in biochemistry. I was hooked on infectious and vector-borne diseases and came to Yale Medical School to complete a post-doctoral fellowship on Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections. I stayed on and became faculty in the Section of Rheumatology and have continued to investigate tick-borne diseases and the immune responses to them. I also pursued my love of teaching and teach both medical and undergraduate students.

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

PhD
Dartmouth College (1998)
BS
Cornell University (1990)

Research

Overview

My current research is primarily focused on understanding the immune responses and disease pathogenesis during B. burgdorferi infections. I am particularly interested in early immune responses during infection, and the role of marginal zone B cells. We are using several novel technologies to study the spirochetes including intra-vital microscopy and optical tweezers. With intra-vital microscopy we are studying both the motility and location of spirochetes in infected mice. We are also using intra-vital microscopy to analyze the joints of the mice in the hopes of better understanding the development of Lyme arthritis. In collaboration with the Dufresne lab in the Engineering and Physics departments, we are using optical tweezers to better understand the biomechanics of spirochete movement. Spirochete movement is crucial for the bacteria's ability to invade different tissues, and also plays a role in their ability to escape immune destruction.

In addition to studying immune responses to infection, we are also working to develop better diagnostic tests for Lyme disease based on our deeper understanding of the types of immune responses that are generated. We are collaborating with L2 diagnostics on several different projects.

In addition to Lyme disease, Ixodes ticks carry several other pathogens and we are also interested in studying the Babesia parasite, as well as the newly identified human pathogen Borrelia miyamotoi.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Babesia; Borrelia burgdorferi; Disease Transmission, Infectious; Global Health; Lyme Disease; Relapsing Fever; Ticks

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Alexia Belperron's published research.

Publications

2024

2023

2022

2021

2019

2017

2016

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Contacts

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