Research
Dr. Sekar studies how metabolic dysfunction, particularly diabetes, reshapes mucosal immunity and epithelial defense against opportunistic fungal infections. His research seeks to uncover mechanisms underlying disease susceptibility and identify novel therapeutic strategies for preventing and treating mucosal infections.
Biography
Jinendiran Sekar, PhD, earned his master’s degree in Biotechnology before completing his Ph.D. in Biotechnology in 2019 at Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, India. He completed his postdoctoral training in the Division of Inflammation and Immunity at the Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, USA, and subsequently joined The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TLI) as a Research Scientist in Infectious Diseases. In 2026, Dr. Sekar was awarded an R21 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He continues his research in collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. Marc Swigergall as part of a team dedicated to advancing research in infectious diseases.