Christian Ringler

Christian is an MD-PhD student from Nairobi, Kenya, who graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2023 with a B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology. As an undergraduate, he conducted research in Dr. Guo Huang's Laboratory at the UCSF Cardiovascular Research Institute, where he investigated the trade-off between endothermy acquisition and cardiomyocyte regenerative capacity. His later work focused on how elevated heart rate during murine postnatal development, driven by the need to sustain higher metabolic rates, contributes to suppressed cardiac regeneration.

After graduation, he joined Dr. Tien Peng's laboratory in the pulmonary division at UCSF as a Staff Research Associate, where he investigated the role of senescent fibroblasts in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and later studied how the aging lung microenvironment drives immune dysfunction. For the first project, he assisted in identifying an HSP90 inhibitor, XL888, as an effective senolytic that targeted senescent fibroblasts and reduced fibrosis. In the latter project, he studied how NFkB-activated fibroblasts promote the accumulation of dysfunctional age-associated CD8 T cells in the lung by recruiting monocytes and inducing T cell exhaustion via macrophage IL-15 production.

At Yale, Christian is interested in exploring inflammaging, the low-level, chronic inflammation that arises with age, and its intersection with immune dysfunction and metabolic regulation.

Outside of his medical and research interests, he enjoys running, hiking, volleyball, and oil painting.