Alexander Vargas-Hernandez, PhD

[person:personal_statement]

Motivated by my interest in science, I completed Molecular Biomedicine MSc and PhD degrees, with a particular focus on immunology and primary Immunodeficiencies (PID). My career as a researcher has been focused on finding the mechanistic explanation for many of the disease processes we encounter in these disorders. 

Intereses Clinicos

I am passionate about investigating new and innovative breakthroughs in clinical immunology. I am committed to advancing findings in NK cell disorders and understanding the lessons we can learn about NK cell biology and function from primary Immunodeficiencies. 

Educacion

Organizaciones

Honors and awards

2018

Best E-poster presentation award ESID

2016-2018

Jeffrey Model Foundation (Travel award)

2009

Best poster award LASID-2009: Jeffrey Model Foundation

2008

National Council for Science and Technology, Ph.D. scholarship

2006

National Council for Science and Technology, M.Sc scholarship

2000

Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla, B.Sc scholarship

* Texas Children’s Hospital physicians’ licenses and credentials are reviewed prior to practicing at any of our facilities. Sections titled From the Doctor, Professional Organizations and Publications were provided by the physician’s office and were not verified by Texas Children’s Hospital.

Research interests

My research is focused on clarifying the NK cell deficiency associated with STAT1-GOF and STAT5b mutations. I began my research at Baylor College of Medicine in 2013 and have studied the pivotal role signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) proteins play during NK cell development. 

Smith MR, Satter LRF and Vargas-Hernandez A (2022) STAT5b: A master regulator of key biological pathways. Front Immunol 13:1025373. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1025373

Vargas-Hernandez A, Witalisz-Siepracka A, Prchal-Murphy M, Klein K, Mahapatra S, Al-Herz W, Mace EM, Carisey AF, Orange JS, Sexl V and Forbes LR (2020) Human signal transducer and activator of transcription 5b (STAT5b) mutation causes dysregulated human natural killer cell maturation and impaired lytic function. J Allergy Clin Immunol 145:345-357 e9. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2019.09.016

Vargas-Hernandez A, Mace EM, Zimmerman O, Zerbe CS, Freeman AF, Rosenzweig S, Leiding JW, Torgerson T, Altman MC, Schussler E, Cunningham-Rundles C, Chinn IK, Carisey AF, Hanson IC, Rider NL, Holland SM, Orange JS and Forbes LR (2018) Ruxolitinib partially reverses functional natural killer cell deficiency in patients with signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) gain-of-function mutations. J Allergy Clin Immunol 141:2142-2155 e5. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2017.08.040

Pelham SJ, Caldirola MS, Avery DT, Mackie J, Rao G, Gothe F, Peters TJ, Guerin A, Neumann D, Vokurkova D, Hwa V, Zhang W, Lyu SC, Chang I, Manohar M, Nadeau KC, Gaillard MI, Bezrodnik L, Iotova V, Zwirner NW, Gutierrez M, Al-Herz W, Goodnow CC, Vargas-Hernandez A, Forbes Satter LR, Hambleton S, Deenick EK, Ma CS and Tangye SG (2022) STAT5B restrains human B-cell differentiation to maintain humoral immune homeostasis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2022.04.011

Leiding JW, Vogel TP, Santarlas VGJ, Mhaskar R, Smith MR, Carisey A, Vargas-Hernandez A, Silva-Carmona M, Heeg M, Rensing-Ehl A, Neven B, Hadjadj J, Hambleton S, Ronan Leahy T, Meesilpavikai K, Cunningham-Rundles C, Dutmer CM, Sharapova SO, Taskinen M, Chua I, Hague R, Klemann C, Kostyuchenko L, Morio T, Thatayatikom A, Ozen A, Scherbina A, Bauer CS, Flanagan SE, Gambineri E, Giovannini-Chami L, Heimall J, Sullivan KE, Allenspach E, Romberg N, Deane SG, Prince BT, Rose MJ, Bohnsack J, Mousallem T, Jesudas R, Santos Vilela MMD, O'Sullivan M, Pachlopnik Schmid J, Pruhova S, Klocperk A, Rees M, Su H, Bahna S, Baris S, Bartnikas LM, Chang Berger A, Briggs TA, Brothers S, Bundy V, Chan AY, Chandrakasan S, Christiansen M, Cole T, Cook MC, Desai MM, Fischer U, Fulcher DA, Gallo S, Gauthier A, Gennery AR, Goncalo Marques J, Gottrand F, Grimbacher B, Grunebaum E, Haapaniemi E, Hamalainen S, Heiskanen K, Heiskanen-Kosma T, Hoffman HM, Gonzalez-Granado LI, Guerrerio AL, Kainulainen L, Kumar A, Lawrence MG, Levin C, Martelius T, Neth O, Olbrich P, Palma A, Patel NC, Pozos T, Preece K, Lugo Reyes SO, Russell MA, Schejter Y, Seroogy C, Sinclair J, Skevofilax E, Suan D, Suez D, Szabolcs P, Velasco H, Warnatz K, Walkovich K, Worth A, members SGWG, Seppanen MRJ, Torgerson TR, Sogkas G, Ehl S, Tangye SG, Cooper MA, Milner JD and Forbes Satter LR (2023) Monogenic early-onset lymphoproliferation and autoimmunity: Natural history of STAT3 gain-of-function syndrome. J Allergy Clin Immunol 151:1081-1095. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2022.09.002

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