Maria Laura (Marila) Gennaro’s research interests focus on global infectious diseases. She is the principal investigator of a tuberculosis research program and an active member and former interim director of the Public Health Research Institute (PHRI), an infectious disease research center within Rutgers’ New Jersey Medical School.

Tuberculosis research programs at PHRI investigate aspects of pathogenesis, host-pathogen interactions, and innate and adaptive immune responses utilizing experimental infection models as well as clinical research. PHRI also conducts research on tuberculosis drug discovery and pharmacokinetics as well as biomarker discovery. Its investigators also study the role of innate immunity in sexually transmitted infections such as HIV; mechanisms of pathogenesis, metabolic dysfunction, and epigenetic gene regulation in trypanosomiasis; the host-pathogen cell biology of obligate intracellular bacteria; and virulence mechanisms, pathogenesis, and host-pathogen interactions in major fungal infections. PHRI’s laboratories also investigate the role of non-tuberculous mycobacteria and other opportunistic bacteria in the clinical manifestations and outcome of non-infectious, obstructive lung diseases.

Most of the PHRI laboratories are engaged in international collaborations in Central and South America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia. Moreover, PHRI also has time-tested collaborations with local clinicians and clinical investigators to study the same global diseases in New Jersey and other U.S. locations, where they present as consequences of health disparities.

Special feature: Applying Science Where It’s Needed Most — Research scientist Maria Laura Gennaro deploys her immunology and microbiology expertise, honed through decades of studying tuberculosis, in the world’s fight against COVID-19.