Lab-led research
Work led by the Alphonse Lab, with lab trainees as first authors.
Nanda N, Kim C, Jain I, Cai C, Alphonse MP. Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells in skin immunity: metabolic regulation, tissue adaptation, and roles in skin inflammation and disease. JID Innovations. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.xjidi.2025.100425 | PMID 41362879
Nanda N, Alphonse MP. From host defense to metabolic signatures: unveiling the role of γδ T cells in bacterial infections. Biomolecules. 2024;14(2):225. doi:10.3390/biom14020225 | PMID 38397462
Cahill E, Oladipo OO, Dikeman D, Prifti D, Mento SJ, Miller LS, Alphonse MP. An oral caspase inhibitor as monotherapy or with antibiotics eradicates MRSA skin infections in mice. Drug Development Research. 2023. doi:10.1002/ddr.22099 | PMID 37540034
Alphonse MP, Duong TT, Tam S, Yeung RSM. Mercury increases IL-1β and IL-18 secretion and intensifies coronary arteritis in an animal model of Kawasaki disease. Frontiers in Immunology. 2023;14:1126154. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1126154 | PMID 37122704
Immunotherapy & inflammasome biology
Alphonse MP, Rubens JH, Ortines RV, Orlando NA, Patel AM, Dikeman DA, Wang Y, Vuong I, Joyce DP, Zhang J, Mumtaz M, Liu H, Liu Q, Youn C, Patrick GJ, Ravipati A, Miller RJ, Archer NK, Miller LS. Pan-caspase inhibition as a potential host-directed immunotherapy against MRSA and other bacterial skin infections. Science Translational Medicine. 2021;13(601):eabe9887. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.abe9887 | PMID 34233954
Youn C, Pontaza C, Wang Y, Dikeman DA, Joyce DP, Alphonse MP, Wu MJ, Nolan SJ, Anany MA, Ahmadi M, Young J, Tocaj A, Garza LA, Wajant H, Miller LS, Archer NK. Neutrophil-intrinsic TNF receptor signaling orchestrates host defense against Staphylococcus aureus. Science Advances. 2023;9(24):eadf8748. doi:10.1126/sciadv.adf8748 | PMID 37327341
Skin microbiome, barrier & allergic disease
Patrick GJ*, Liu H*, Alphonse MP, Dikeman DA, Youn C, Otterson JC, Wang Y, Ravipati A, Mazhar M, Denny G, Ortines RV, Zhang E, Miller RJ, Dillen CA, Liu Q, Nolan SJ, Nguyen K, Marcello L, Do DC, Zhang Y, Caviness G, Klimowicz AC, Mierz DV, Fine JS, Sun G, Goldbach-Mansky R, Marusina AI, Merleev AA, Maverakis E, Milner JD, Gao P, Ramanujam M, Raymond EL, Archer NK*, Miller LS*. Epicutaneous Staphylococcus aureus induces IL-36 to enhance IgE production and ensuing allergic disease. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2021;131(5):e143334. doi:10.1172/JCI143334 | PMID 33645549 — * Equal contribution
Dong X, Limjunyawong N, Sypek EI, Wang G, Ortines RV, Youn C, Alphonse MP, Dikeman D, Wang Y, Lay M, Kothari R, Vasavda C, Pundir P, Goff L, Miller LS, Lu W, Garza LA, Kim BS, Archer NK, Dong X. Keratinocyte-derived defensins activate neutrophil-specific receptors Mrgpra2a/b to prevent skin dysbiosis and bacterial infection. Immunity. 2022;55(9):1645-1662.e7. doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2022.06.021 | PMID 35882236
Yang L, Wang P, Gao T, Huang X, Lin Z, Sweren E, Li Y, Chen L, Alphonse MP, Zhang J, Wang G. Melatonin treatment increases skin microbiota-derived propionic acid to alleviate atopic dermatitis. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2024. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2024.11.019 | PMID 39579877
Lin Z, Yang L, Han Y, Qi C, Chen L, Luo Y, Lin Y, Sweren E, Chen P, Alphonse MP, Garza LA, Wang G. Microbiota–fibroblast crosstalk represents the missing link in skin barrier dysfunction and fibrosis. British Journal of Dermatology. 2026. doi:10.1093/bjd/ljag068 | PMID 41729814
Qi C, Lin Z, Gan Y, Liang P, Chen L, Luo Y, Sweren E, Alphonse MP, Yang L, Garza LA, Wang G. Microbiota–fibroblast interactions in multi-organ fibrosis. Microbiological Research. 2026;299:128602. doi:10.1016/j.micres.2026.128602 | PMID 42372464
Prurigo nodularis & translational dermatology
Alphonse MP*, Belzberg M*, Brown I, Williams KA, Khanna R, Ho B, Wongvibulsin S, Pritchard T, Jedrych J, Johnston A, Sarkar K, Vasavda C, Meixiong J, Dillen CA, Chen W, Corcoran D, Devos N, Kwatra MM, Chien AL, Archer NK, Garza LA, Dong X, Kang S, Kwatra SG. Prurigo nodularis is characterized by systemic and cutaneous Th22 immune polarization. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2021;141(9):2208-2218.e14. doi:10.1016/j.jid.2021.02.749 | PMID 33771530 — * Equal contribution, co-first author
Alphonse MP*, Sutaria N*, Roh YS, Choi J, Parthasarathy V, Deng J, Bordeaux ZA, Taylor MT, Pritchard T, Kim N, Aguh C, Semenov YR, Archer NK, Garza LA, Kang S, Kwatra SG. Cutaneous transcriptomics identifies fibroproliferative and neurovascular gene dysregulation in prurigo nodularis compared to psoriasis. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2022;142(9):2537-2540. doi:10.1016/j.jid.2022.02.010 | PMID 35257721 — * Equal contribution, co-first author
Cornman HL, Alphonse MP, Dykema A, Kollhoff AL, Lee KK, Manjunath J, Ma EZ, Parthasarathy V, Deng J, Pritchard T, Kambala A, Marani M, Parr KA, Mohammed JP, Kwatra MM, Bream JH, Ho WJ, Kwatra SG. Targeted dual biologic therapy for erythroderma of unknown etiology guided by high-parameter peripheral blood immunophenotyping. Scientific Reports. 2025;15:1743. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-81060-3 | PMID 39809837
Tissue regeneration & repair
Wang G, Liu H, Sweren E, Wier E, Alphonse MP, Islam N, Li A, Xue Y, Wang SLY, Archer NK, Hu Z, Grice E, Miller LS, Garza LA. Bacteria induce skin regeneration via IL-1β signaling. Cell Host & Microbe. 2021;29(5):777-791.e6. doi:10.1016/j.chom.2021.03.003 | PMID 33798492
Wang G, Sweren E, Andrews W, Li Y, Chen J, Xue Y, Wier E, Alphonse MP, Luo L, Miao Y, Chen R, Zeng D, Lee S, Li A, Dare E, Kim D, Archer NK, Reddy SK, Resar L, Hu Z, Grice EA, Kane MA, Garza LA. Commensal microbiome promotes hair follicle regeneration by inducing keratinocyte HIF-1α signaling and glutamine metabolism. Science Advances. 2023;9(1):eabo7555. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abo7555 | PMID 36598999
Kirby CS, Islam N, Wier E, Alphonse MP, Sweren E, Wang G, Liu H, Kim D, Li A, Lee SS, Overmiller AM, Xue Y, Reddy S, Archer NK, Miller LS, Yu J, Huang W, Jones JW, Kim S, Kane MA, Silverman RH, Garza LA. RNase L represses hair follicle regeneration through altered innate immune signaling. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2025;135(6):e172595. doi:10.1172/JCI172595 | PMID 39903537
Full publication list on PubMed | ORCID | Google Scholar
Alphonse Lab 