Irena Paštar

I am Professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology & Cutaneous Surgery and a member of the University of Miami Graduate Faculty of Microbiology and Immunology with extensive background in skin biology and molecular microbiology. The focus of my career is to understand molecular mechanisms of barrier repair in the context of host-pathogen interaction. My laboratory utilizes microbiome and metagenome approaches coupled with the host transcriptomics to decipher the granularity of host-microbiome interplay in inflammatory cutaneous conditions. The emphasis of my work has consistently been on the integration of clinical information with detectable molecular shifts that have therapeutic implications, specifically via analysis of microbiome and transcriptomics data. My publication and funding records demonstrate success in directing and organizing collaborations with basic scientists, clinicians, and industry with the goal of revealing mechanisms of complex tissue pathologies, establish human models of disease, and identify novel therapeutic and diagnostic targets. 

Tentative Title:

Decoding the Dialogue Between Microbes and Skin: Pathways to Precision Therapeutics

Pillar and Topic/Subtopic:

PILLAR 1: FRONTIERS HEALTH & CLINICAL INNOVATIONS

1.4: Microbiome Breakthrough

Sub-topic 1.4c: Host-Pathogen Interactions and Microbial Pathogenesis in Human and Animal Systems