Sonia Navas-Martin

Sonia Navas-Martin, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at Drexel University College of Medicine.

My long-term research interest is the identification of key molecular and cellular mechanisms at the pathogen-host interface that could be exploited as potential targets for the treatment of multiple chronic inflammatory as well as acute, fatal diseases. A current focus of my laboratory is the elucidation of innate immunity networks that, during viral infection and non-infectious insult, might contribute to immunopathology, with a focus in the central nervous system (CNS) and hematopoietic cells. In addition, we are starting to investigate the role of innate immune dysregulation in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. A third focus is to elucidate how non-replicative cellular senescence affects innate immunity pathways. My lab uses molecular and cell biology, immunology, genetics, biochemistry, and animal and cell models to investigate these mechanisms.