College of Dentistry
Martinez Lab
Led by Luis R Martinez · Oral Biology
What we study
The lab studies how the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans invades and spreads in the brain of people with weakened immune systems, focusing on interactions with brain cells like microglia and astrocytes.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Mice
- Project
- 1
- Papers
- 5
Current projects
Mechanisms underlying Cryptococcus neoformans-induced meningoencephalitis and neurotoxicity in a CD4 T cell-deficient mouse
Investigating how the fungus spreads in the brain of mice with weakened immune systems.
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Zinc-Based Nanoparticles Reduce the Bacterial Burden and Protect Collagen in a Mouse Cutaneous Wound Model
2026 · ACS Omega
Tests if zinc nanoparticles kill bacteria and heal wounds in mice.
- Temporal shifts in adaptive immunity drive HIV-associated cryptococcal IRIS: mechanisms, models, and therapeutic opportunities
2026 · NeuroImmune Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Describes how immune responses change after HIV treatment and cause brain inflammation.
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- The skin as a reservoir for Candidozyma auris : colonization dynamics, host defense, and decolonization challenges
2026 · Critical Reviews in Microbiology
Explores how C. auris hides on skin, resists cleaning, and spreads in hospitals.
- Iturin A disrupts Cryptococcus neoformans membrane integrity, attenuates virulence, and synergizes with amphotericin B
2026 · npj Fungal Science
Finds that iturin A kills C. neoformans and works better with amphotericin B.
- Cryptococcus neoformans phospholipase B1 is critical for cryptococcoma formation in the mouse brain
2025 · Frontiers in Immunology
Tests whether a fungus's phospholipase B1 helps it spread in the brain of mice.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
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