PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Dr. Stephania Libreros' lab focuses on uncovering the biochemical, immunological, and molecular mechanisms that restore organ-specific and systemic homeostasis following pathological challenges, and understanding why these mechanisms sometimes fail, leading to chronic inflammation. Her goal is to identify novel pro-resolving mediators and circuits that enhance host protection, promote microbial clearance, and facilitate tissue regeneration in humans.

Dr. Libreros earned her Ph.D. in Immunology, where she studied how pre-existing inflammation drives tumor metastasis and myeloid-induced inflammation. She then completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University with Professor Charles N. Serhan, working on the structural elucidation of novel molecules and networks that control the resolution of inflammation. Her research explored how these pathways could lead to a new class of therapeutics by harnessing the body's natural ability to resolve inflammation. She has received multiple scientific awards, including the the Eicosanoid Research Foundation Santosh Nigam Outstanding Young Scientist Award, the Early Career Investigator Award from the Society for Leukocyte Biology, and the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00).

Dr. Libreros is constant advocator for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in biomedical Science, where she fosters an inclusive environment and promotes equity as a key driver for innovation and scientific progression.

Usman graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in May of 2023 and joined the lab the following fall. In the lab Usman oversees the lipidomics where he is in charge of the liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) system. 

Currently Usman is interested in profiling and understanding the global lipid composition of biological samples upon infection and the changes these samples endure when administered with exogenous Resolvins. Outside of lab, Usman is a big foodie and enjoys going out to eat and also working out. He is also a big New York fan where he supports the Giants, Yankees, Knicks, and Rangers!

 Ziyu Yang graduated from Boston University with a bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering and earned a master’s degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. 

He joined the Libreros Lab in 2024 and is passionately integrating biological experiments with advanced imaging techniques to dissect the mechanisms by which Resolvins regulate phagocytosis. Ziyu enjoys learning innovative and challenging methods such as intravital microscopy and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in the future. 

 Outside the lab, he loves cooking, reading philosophical literature, and spending time in nature. He also enjoys playing Go and is currently learning how to play the guitar. 

At Libreros Lab, my research seeks to understand how our bodies orchestrate the resolution of inflammation, from the subtle molecular interactions involved to the resulting cellular behaviors. To effectively decipher this intricate continuum, my approach integrates wet-lab experimentation with computational biology, allowing for the development of robust tools and creative solutions to process and interpret high-throughput data, from multi-omics to live-cell imaging. This comprehensive approach, complemented by structural modeling of key protein interactions, allows me to build a mechanistic understanding of how tissue balance is restored. 

 Tricia is a PhD student from Brooklyn, NY studying neutrophil heterogeneity. When not in the lab, you can find her skiing, traveling, or playing with her two cowcats (our lab pets now) !

Pablo received a PhD from The Research and advanced studies center of the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City. His expertise includes functional analysis and characterization of proteins, gene screening, edition, silencing and knock out. He participates in the maintenance and characterization of mouse models and developing research tools in cell, molecular biology, and biochemistry fields.

 Dylan is an undergraduate student at Yale University from Long Island, NY majoring in biomedical engineering. Through working in this lab, he hopes to better understand how neutrophil heterogeneity contributes to inflammation and its resolution, and how dysregulation might lead to chronic disease. He is also excited to gain hands-on experience with techniques such as LC-MS/MS, lipidomic analysis, and flow cytometry and working with Tricia and Usman in the lab.

Outside of the lab, he loves playing volleyball, working out, and food. He also enjoys playing the bass and piano in his free time. 

Veronica is a rising high school junior at the Taft School.

In the lab, she hopes to learn pertinent microscopy and bench techniques, and gain important experience by working alongside Ziyu Yang. In the future, she would like to study medicine. 

The lovely two of Tricia