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Eric Isaac Elliott, MD, PhD

Instructor
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Instructor

Biography

Dr. Eric Isaac Elliott, MD, PhD, obtained his BS in Biology from Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL) and his MD and PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine (Iowa City, IA). There, his thesis research in the laboratory of Fayyaz Sutterwala (Cedars-Sinai) examined the regulation of the NLR Family Pyrin Domain Containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation by the mitochondrial phospholipid cardiolipin. He completed residency in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases fellowship at Yale. His postdoctoral studies in the laboratory of Andrew Wang have examined the regulation of carnitine metabolism is sepsis. His research now focuses on how the immune system senses and reprograms metabolism in inflammatory disease.

Select Publications:

Elliott EI, Miller AN, Banoth B, Iyer SS, Stotland A, Weiss JP, Gottlieb RA, Sutterwala FS, Cassel SL. Cutting Edge: Mitochondrial Assembly of the NLRP3 Inflammasome Complex Is Initiated at Priming. J Immunol. 2018 May 1;200(9):3047-3052.

Elliott EI, Sutterwala FS. Monocytes Take Their Own Path to IL-1β. Immunity. 2016 Apr 19;44(4):713-5.

Elliott EI, Sutterwala FS. Initiation and perpetuation of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and assembly. Immunol Rev. 2015 May;265(1):35-52.

Iyer SS, He Q, Janczy JR, Elliott EI, Zhong Z, Olivier AK, Sadler JJ, Knepper-Adrian V, Han R, Qiao L, Eisenbarth SC, Nauseef WM, Cassel SL, Sutterwala FS. Mitochondrial cardiolipin is required for Nlrp3 inflammasome activation. Immunity. 2013 Aug 22;39(2):311-323.


Last Updated on April 27, 2026.

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

Fellowship
Yale School of Medicine (2024)
Residency
Yale University School of Medicine (2020)
MD
University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine (2018)
PhD
University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Molecular and Cellular Biology (2018)
BS
Wheaton College, Biology (2010)

Research

Overview

I am an Instructor in the Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, at Yale University. My experiences as an Infectious Diseases clinician have motivated me to address the unsatisfactory clinical outcomes and lack of novel therapeutics for sepsis. As targeting metabolism in sepsis shows promise in preclinical models, I endeavor to understand inflammation-induced metabolic reprogramming in sepsis and other inflammatory diseases. Employing human cells, patient samples and murine models, I pursue highly translational research that integrates physiologic monitoring, markers of organ dysfunction, transcriptomics, metabolipidomics, and multimodal immune characterization to examine how immune cells sense and reprogram metabolism. As a physician-scientist, my ultimate goal is to illuminate novel pathways and identify targets to improve sepsis survival and recovery.

I have a general scientific background in Molecular and Cellular Biology through my graduate studies at the University of Iowa, and further expertise in innate immunity, mitochondria, and lipid biochemistry through my thesis work on the NLRP3 inflammasome in the laboratory of Fayyaz S. Sutterwala (Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles, CA). My postdoctoral studies in the laboratory of Andrew Wang (Yale, New Haven, CT) have provided additional scientific expertise in sepsis physiology, tolerance, and immunometabolism and technical expertise with in vivo mouse models, physiologic assessment, immunophenotyping and multiomics.

Medical Research Interests

Carnitine; Caspase 1; Caspases; Cell Death; Immunity, Innate; Inflammasomes; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Macrophages; Metabolism; Mitochondria; NLR Proteins; Receptors, Pattern Recognition; Rhabdomyolysis; Sepsis; Solute Carrier Proteins

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Eric Isaac Elliott's published research.

Publications

2025

2024

2022

2021

2016

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

Honors

  • honor

    Burroughs Wellcome Career Award For Medical Scientists Finalist

  • honor

    Yale Physician Scientist Development Award (2024)

Clinical Care

Overview

Eric Isaac Elliott, MD, PhD, is an infectious diseases specialist who provides diagnostics, treatment, and counseling for people with a wide range of infections.

Dr. Elliott says he was drawn to his specialty because of the field’s impact on individual and public health. “There is tremendous opportunity to make a meaningful difference, as the most significant public health advancements historically have come through the development of antibiotics and vaccines. Infectious diseases requires a deep understanding of not only the microbiology of pathogens, but also the patient’s environment, behaviors, culture and experiences. It’s a field that constantly evolves, shaped by emerging zoonotic transmission, climate change, global migration, and antimicrobial resistance—making it both intellectually stimulating and vitally important.”

As an instructor at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Elliott studies how inflammation produced by the immune system directs the rest of the body to overcome infection. In particular, Dr. Elliott has focused on understanding how cells sense infection through a sensor called the inflammasome and how inflammation alters a person’s metabolism during infection. Through this research, Dr. Elliott hopes to find new treatments for severe infections like sepsis.

Dr. Elliott received his medical degree and doctorate (molecular and cellular biology) through the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency and infectious diseases fellowship through the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Physician-Scientist Training Program at Yale. He is ABIM board-certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases.

Clinical Specialties

Infectious Diseases; Internal Medicine

Get In Touch

Contacts

Mailing Address

Yale University

300 Cedar St., TACS520

New Haven, CT 06519

United States

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