Research Focus
Chrissy M. Leopold Wager, PhD is a Staff Scientist I at Texas Biomed in the Schlesinger lab studying human macrophage responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis. Her current research focuses on identification of cell signaling pathways in human macrophages that are co-opted by M. tuberculosis to promote its own survival and lead to the development of tuberculosis. Dr. Leopold Wager is investigating the role of the cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) as a master regulator of immune evasion by M. tuberculosis. She is also working to discern the role of lipid signaling molecules, known as eicosanoids, in the macrophage response to M. tuberculosis infection. Understanding how M. tuberculosis causes disease has the potential to lead to discovery of novel targets for host-directed therapy to advance treatment for tuberculosis.