Maria Gomes-Solecki, DVM

Professor
858 Madison Ave.
301 Molecular Science Building
Memphis, TN 38163
mgomesso@uthsc.edu
Phone: 901.448.2536
Fax: 901.448.7360
Education
- Research Scholar and Post-Doctoral Associate, SUNY at Stony Brook (Stony Brook University), 1995-1998.
- Fellowship, National Institute of Technology (Lisbon, Portugal), 1992-1995
- DVM, University of Lisbon, 1992
Research Interests
My laboratory focuses on the study of Borrelia burgdorferi and pathogenic Leptospira sp. The objective of my research program for Lyme disease is to continue understanding the interactions of tick transmitted B. burgdorferi with the mammalian immune system as it can shed light onto new pathways that can be targeted for development of marketable biologics. We use a number of microbiological, biochemical, molecular and immunology techniques to understand these mechanisms at a fundamental level; the biomarkers identified in these studies are then applied to pre-clinical development of new diagnostics and vaccines. The same scientific method is applied to understanding host-pathogen interactions of L. interrogans.
I am known in the field of Lyme disease research as an expert developer of oral vaccines based on commensal bacteria (i.e. Lactobacillus sp. and E. coli). For Leptospirosis my laboratory has contributed with further development of mouse models of disease.
Pubmed Profile (Gomes-Solecki)
ORCID: 0000-0002-3715-4543
Research Gate: Gomes-Solecki
Entrepreneurial activity:
- 2012 - Present, Inventor co-founder, Scientific Advisor, US BIOLOGIC, Inc.
- 2012 – Present, Founder, President and CEO, Immuno Technologies, Inc.
- Faculty Entrepreneur: UTRF Tech Talks: Ask An Entrepreneur
Federal Funding: NIH RePorter: PI, Gomes-Solecki; select 2003 to present
Funded Projects
- Gift from Jamie Siminoff (Founder of RingÒ) to Maria Gomes-Solecki Lab at UTHSC. April 2019. UTHSC R073015029.
- R43 AI155211 (PI, Gomes-Solecki)
NIH NIAID
Antibody isotyping for discrimination of disease stage and diagnosis of early Lyme disease
Immuno Technologies, Inc (ITI)
07/01/2020 to 06/30/2022 - R01 AI139267-01A1 (MPI, Pettersen and Gomes-Solecki)
NIH NIAID
Field trial and modeling of transmission blocking vaccine to prevent Lyme disease
UTHSC
07-01-2019 to 06/30/2024 - R43 AI152650-01A1(MPI, Egelkrout and Gomes-Solecki)
NIH NIAID
Low-cost Production of a Vaccine for Lyme Disease in Maize
Applied Biotechnology Institute (ABI) and Immuno Technologies, Inc (ITI)
03-02-2021 to 03-01-2023