Principal Investigator
Michel Enamorado, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology | Assistant Professor, The Friedman Brain Institute | Assistant Professor, Precision Immunology Institute | Assistant Professor, Mark Lebwohl Center for Neuroinflammationa and Sensation
Faculty Profile
Michel Enamorado, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Dermatology with an affiliation to the Friedman Brain Institute, the Precision Immunology Institute, and the Mark Lebwohl Center for Neuroinflammation and Sensation at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He received his B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Havana, where he achieved the Best National Academic Performance. His academic journey led him to complete his Ph.D. research in the Immunobiology Laboratory at the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research, culminating in a Ph.D. in Molecular Biosciences from the Autonomous University of Madrid in Spain. His Ph.D. studies on basic immunology, tumor immunology and immunometabolism were sponsored by the prestigious “La Caixa-Severo Ochoa” International PhD Fellowship Program. Dr. Enamorado’s pursuit of knowledge continued as he joined the laboratory of Dr. Yasmine Belkaid at the National Institutes of Health. His research was supported by the Cancer Research Institute Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. Here, he delved into the exploration of host-microbiota interaction and neuroimmune responses in the skin.
Within the Enamorado Lab, a focal point of investigation lies on understanding the neuroimmune regulation of injury and repair. Dr. Enamorado’s research aims to unravel the 1) Peripheral Neuroimmune Regulation of Injury and Repair at Barrier Tissues. 2) Brain Sensing of Injury and Repair. 3) Impact of Injury and Repair on Mental Health. By advancing our understanding of the neuroimmune mechanisms at play, we will contribute to the development of personalized, targeted therapies that can make a meaningful difference in patients live.
In recognition of his outstanding scientific contributions, Dr. Enamorado has garnered a series of honors and awards, including the 2022 ICIS-PFIZER Junior Investigator Award from the International Cytokine and Interferon Society, the 2023 NIH-William E. Paul Award for the Best Paper in Cytokine Research, the 2023 Mount Sinai Biomedical Laureates Program Award, the NIAID Career Transition Award (K22), and the NIH FIRST Program Award at Sinai. His accomplishments reflect his commitment to advancing our understanding of complex neuroimmune interactions and their impact on tissue function.
Lab Members
Verónica Burstein, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Verónica Burstein earned her Ph.D. at the National University of Córdoba in Argentina, focusing on the role of type 17 immunity in fungi and its implications for host defense against dermatophytosis. Supported by a fellowship from the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), she conducted postdoctoral research in clinical mycology, antifungal skin mechanisms, and human immune responses to dermatophytosis at CIBICI-CONICET. Currently, Dr. Burstein has joined Dr. Enamorado’s laboratory to study how the skin-brain axis regulates tissue injury and repair and elucidate the associated neuroimmune mechanisms.
Adelle Ayash
Associate Researcher
Adelle Ayash earned her Bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College, majoring in Psychology and Neuroscience. While pursuing her degree, she served as a Research Assistant in the Brooklyn Neurobiology of Learning Lab, engaging in behavioral studies and neuro-based analyses within the rat paradigm. Adelle has joined the lab to enhance her expertise in neuroscience while exploring connections with immunology. She is dedicated to acquiring a comprehensive education through blending conceptual and practical dimensions in neuroscience and immunology. Her primary goal is to significantly broaden her understanding, paving the way for advanced academic pursuits within the expansive field of neuroscience.
Ignacio Beccacece, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Ignacio Beccacece graduated as Biochemist in 2016 and completed his PhD program in 2023 at National University of Córdoba (Argentina). During his PhD, Dr. Beccacece focused his studies on the phenotypical and functional characterization of cutaneous type 17 immune responses to Nannizzia gypsea infection. In 2019, Ignacio was granted with a IUBMB Wood-Whelan Fellowship to attend an internship at Dr. Immo Prinz’s lab at Hannover Medical School (Germany) to study the role of gdT cells in the context of dermatophytic infections. Currently, as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Dr. Enamorado’s lab, Ignacio will focus his research in trying to understand the interaction between the immune cells and the sensory neurons in the respiratory tract, and how factors like microbiota and injury regulate this process.
Qingying Feng
Graduate Student
Qingying earned her bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences at UC Davis. She has previously studied the dynamics of antibiotic resistance genes in human gut microbiome under different environments during her Master’s Degree program in Conservation Medicine at The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Additionally, she had worked as a zookeeper for Asian primates, which helped train her to observe and assess changes in animal models efficiently. Currently, Qingying is investigating how does the trigeminal nerves innervate with the immune system.