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Pritesh Desai, PhD

Pritesh Desai
Pritesh Desai, PhD

Assistant Professor

Contact

Microbial Pathogenesis & Immunology
8447 John Sharp Parkway
Medical Research and Education Building I - 3100
Bryan, TX 77807-3260
pdesai@tamu.edu
Phone: 979.436.0342

Biography

Dr. Pritesh Desai joined the Texas A&M University Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology (MPIM) in September 2025, bringing with him a growing research program focused on how the immune system responds to microbial coinfection. His laboratory investigates fundamental mechanisms of immune regulation, with particular emphasis on helminth mediated modulation of antiviral and vaccine induced immunity, and dendritic cell driven control of T cell responses.

Born and raised in Mumbai, India, Dr. Desai moved to the U.S. to pursue a master’s degree in Biology at Georgia State University, where he joined the lab of Dr. Julia Hilliard to study Herpes B virus, a zoonotic pathogen that is benign in macaques but can cause fatal neurological disease in humans. This experience sparked a lasting interest in how viruses cross species barriers and interact with host immunity.

He earned his Ph.D. in Medical Sciences (Immunology and Microbiology) at the University of Florida under the mentorship of Dr. Shahram Salek-Ardakani. There, Dr. Desai investigated the role of tumor necrosis factor superfamily molecules in regulating antiviral CD8 T cell memory and uncovered how dendritic cells, monocytes, and B cells orchestrate distinct stages of T cell responses. His work led to five first-author publications and recognition from the American Association of Immunologists, including the prestigious Careers in Immunology Fellowship.

Dr. Desai completed his postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Michael S. Diamond at Washington University in St. Louis. He launched a new research direction exploring how intestinal helminths modulate immune responses to mosquito borne flaviviruses such as Zika and West Nile. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he expanded this work to investigate how helminths impair SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine responses. His findings, published in Cell and Science Translational Medicine, revealed that helminth coinfection can exacerbate neurotropic viral disease and impair vaccine induced T cell protection. In parallel, Dr. Desai collaborated with leading immunologists including Dr. Ken Murphy and Dr. Marco Colonna on studies of dendritic cell and innate lymphoid cell biology. This collaborative work has been featured in high impact journals such as Science, Immunity, Nature, and PNAS.

At Texas A&M, the Desai Laboratory leverages the unique biology of pathogens such as viruses and helminths as tools to probe the fundamental mechanisms underlying the development of immunity. By integrating infection models, genetic tools, and immunological approaches, the lab seeks to uncover foundational principles of immune regulation that can inform the design of next generation vaccines and immune therapies.

During his postdoctoral training, he worked closely with graduate students, undergraduates, and high school trainees. In his own lab, he fosters a collaborative environment that encourages creativity and learning, where trainees are empowered to ask bold questions, pursue rigorous experimentation, and grow into independent scientists. While advancing his research program, Dr. Desai remains deeply committed to mentorship, supporting the next generation of biomedical researchers in both their academic and professional development.

Education and Training

  • Washington University in St. Louis, Postdoctoral training (Dr. Michael S. Diamond Lab), 2025
  • University of Florida, PhD, Medical Sciences, 2017
  • Georgia State University, Masters in Biology, 2012
  • Padmashree Dr. D.Y. Patil University, Navi-Mumbai, India, B. Tech, Biotechnology, 2009

Research Interests

  • We leverage the unique biology of pathogens such as viruses and helminths as tools to probe the fundamental mechanisms underlying the development of immunity. Central to our research is an innovative experimental system that models microbial coinfections, enabling us to dissect mechanisms of immunomodulation and identify key determinants of pathogenesis. Our ultimate goal is to translate these mechanistic insights into novel therapeutic strategies, improve vaccine development, and harness the immunomodulatory properties of microbes to improve human health.

Awards, Recognition and Service

  • AAAAI Annual Meeting Discovery Program Scholarship
  • Keystone Symposium Scholarship (Helminths: New Insights Immunity to Global Health)

Representative Publications

FIRST AUTHOR PUBLICATIONS

1. Desai P*, Karl CE*, Ying B, Liang CY, Garcia-Salum T, Santana AC, Caten FT, Urban JF, Elbashir SM, Edwards DK, Ribeiro SP, Thackray LB, Sekaly RP, Diamond MS. Intestinal helminth infection impairs vaccine induced T cell responses and protection against SARS-CoV-2. Science Translational Medicine | August 2024. (*share co-first authorship)

2. Desai P, Janova H, White JP, Reynoso G, Hickman HD, Baldridge MT, Urban JF, Stappenbeck TS, Thackray LB, Diamond MS. Enteric helminth coinfection enhances host susceptibility to neurotropic flaviviruses via a tuft cell-IL- 4R signaling axis. Cell | Feb 2021

3. Desai P, Diamond MS, Thackray LB. Helminth-virus interactions: determinants of coinfection outcomes. Gut Microbes | Jan 2021

4. Desai P, Stanfield J, Tahiliani V, Abboud G, Salek-Ardakani S. Lack of B lymphocytes enhances CD8 T cell-mediated resistance against respiratory viral infection but compromises memory cell formation. Journal of Virology | Jan 2020

5. Desai P, Tahiliani V, Abboud G, Stanfield J, Salek-Ardakani S. Batf3-depednent dendritic cells promote optimal CD8 T cell responses against respiratory poxvirus infection. Journal of Virology | August 2018

6. Desai P, Tahiliani V, Hutchinson TE, Dastmalchi F, Stanfield J, Abboud G, Thomas PG, Song J, Ware CF, Croft M, Salek-Ardakani S. The TNF superfamily molecule LIGHT promotes the generation of circulating and lung-resident memory CD8 T cells following an acute respiratory virus infection. Journal of Immunology | April 2018

7. Desai P, Tahiliani V, Stanfield J, Abboud G, Salek-Ardakani S. Inflammatory monocytes contribute to the persistence of CXCR3hiCX3CR1lo circulating and lung resident memory CD8+ T cells following respiratory virus infection. Immunology and Cell Biology | Jan 2018

8. Desai P, Abboud G, Stanfield J, Thomas PG, Song J, Ware CF, Croft M, Salek-Ardakani S. HVEM imprints memory potential on effector CD8 T cells required for protective mucosal immunity. Journal of Immunology | Oct 2017

9. Desai P and Harmalkar M. Comparative assessment of antibacterial activity of ginger extracts with antimicrobial agents. International Journal of Pharmacology and Biological Sciences | August 2011 (ISSN - 0973-6808)

 

CO-AUTHOR PUBLICATIONS

1. Janova H, Zhao F, Desai P, Mack M, Thackray LB, Stappenbeck TS, Diamond MS. Enteric nervous system injury and intestinal dysmotility after West Nile virus infection is mediated by perforin and Fas-ligand dependent T cell effector functions. Journal of Clinical Investigation | August 2024

2. Ying B, Liang CY, Desai P, Scheaffer S, Elbashir S, Edwards D, Thackray LB, Diamond MS. Ipsilateral or contralateral boosting of mice with mRNA vaccines confers equivalent immunity and protection against a SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain. Journal of Virology | August 2024

3. Ying B, Darling TL, Desai P, Liang CY, Dmitriev IP, Soudani N, Bricker T, Kashentseva EA, Harastani H, Schmidt AG, Curiel DT, Boon ACM, Diamond MS. Mucosal vaccine induced cross-reactive CD8+ T cells protect against SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1.5 respiratory tract infection. Nature Immunology | Feb 2024

4. Zimmerman O, Doss A, Ying B, Liang CY, Mackin SR, Davis-Adams HG, Adams LJ, VanBlargan LA, Chen RE, Scheaffer SM, Desai P, Raju S, Presti R, Kendall PG, Fremont DH, Ellebedy AH, Diamond MS. Immunoglobulin replacement products confer in vivo protection against SARS-CoV-2 XBB1.5 Omicron variant despite poor neutralizing activity. JCI Insight | Jan 2024

5. Mackin SR, Desai P, Whitener BM, Karl CE, Liu M, Baric RS, Edwards DK, Chicz TM, McNamara RP, Alter G, Diamond MS. Fc-gR-dependent antibody effector functions are required for vaccine-mediated protection against antigenically shifted variants of SARS-CoV-2. Nature Microbiology | April 2023

6. Panda SK, Kim DH, Desai P, Rodrigue P, Sudan R, Gilfillan S, Cella M, Van Dyken SJ, Colonna M. SLC7A8 is a key amino acid supplier for the metabolic programs that sustain homeostasis and activation of type 2 innate lymphoid cells. PNAS | Oct 2022

7. Liu T, Kim S, Desai P, Kim D, Huang X, Ferris ST, Wu R, Ou F, Murphy MJ, Van Dyken SJ, Diamond MS, Kubo M, Murphy TL, Murphy KM. Ablation of cDC2 lineage specification by mutations within the −165 kb Zeb2 enhancer. Nature | June 2022

8. Wang WL, Kasamatsu J, Joshita S, Panda SK, Kim DH, Desai P, Bando JK, Huang S, Yomogida K, Hoshino H, Fukushima M, Jacobsen EA, Van Dyken S, Ruedl C, Cella M, Colonna M. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor instructs immunomodulatory profile of a subset of Clec4a4+ eosinophils unique to the small intestine. PNAS | June 2022

9. Funk KE, Arutyunov AD, Desai P, White JP, Soung AL, Rosen SF, Diamond MS, Klein RS. Decreased antiviral immune response within the central nervous of aged mice is associated with increased lethality of West Nile virus encephalitis. Aging Cell | July 2021

10. Huang X, Ferris ST, Kim S, Choudhary MNK, Belk JA, Fan C, Qi Y, Sudan R, Xia Y, Desai P, Chen J, Ly N, Shi Q, Bagadia P, Liu T, Guilliams M, Egawa T, Colonna M, Diamond MS, Murphy TL, Satpathy AT, Wang T, Murph KM. Differential usage of transcriptional repressor Zeb2 enhancers distinguishes adult and embryonic hematopoiesis. Immunity | May 2021

11. Ingle H, Hassan E, Gawron J, Mihi B, Li Y, Kennedy EA, Kalugotla G, Makimaa H, Lee S, Desai P, McDonald KG, Diamond MS, Newberry RD, Good M, Baldridge MT. Murine astrovirus tropism for goblet cells and enterocytes facilitates an IFN-L response in vivo and in enteroid cultures. Mucosal Immunology | May 2021

12. Zhang R, Earnest JT, Kim AS, Winkler ES, Desai P, Adams LJ, Hu G, Bullock C, Gold B, Cherry S, Diamond MS. Expression of Mxra8 receptor promotes alphavirus infection and pathogenesis in mice and Drosophila. Cell Reports| Sept 2019

13. Jagger BW, Dowd KA, Chen RE, Desai P, Foreman B, Burgomaster KE, Himansu S, Kong W, Graham BS, Pierson TC, Diamond MS. Protective efficacy of nucleic acid vaccines against transmission of Zika virus during pregnancy in mice. Journal of Infectious Diseases | July 2019

14. Theisen DJ, Davidson JT, Briseno CG, Gargaro M, Lauron EJ, Wang Q, Desai P, Durai V, Bagadia P, Murphy TL, Murphy KM. WDFY4 is required for cross-presentation in response to viral and tumor antigens. Science | Nov 2018

15. Abboud G, Desai P, Dastmalchi F, Stanfield J, Hutchinson TE, Salek-Ardakani S. Tissue-specific programming of memory CD8 T Cell subsets predicts protection against lethal respiratory virus infection. Journal of Experimental Medicine | Dec 2016

16. Abboud G, Stanfield J, Tahiliani V, Desai P, Hutchinson TE, Lorentsen K, Cho J, Avram D, Salek-Ardakani S. Transcription factor Bcl11b controls effector and memory CD8 T cell fate decision and function during poxvirus infection. Frontiers in Immunology | Oct 2016

17. Abboud G, Tahiliani V, Desai P, Hutchinson TE, Varkoly K. Driver J, Hutchinson TE, Salek-Ardakani S. Natural killer cells and innate IFN-γ participate in host defense against respiratory vaccinia virus infection. Journal of Virology | Oct 2015

18. Goulding J, Abboud G, Tahiliani V, Desai P, Hutchinson TE, Salek-Ardakani S. CD8 T cells use IFN-γ to protect against the lethal effects of a respiratory poxvirus infection. Journal of Immunology | June 2014

Current Areas of Research

  1. Mechanisms of Intestinal Helminth-Mediated Modulation of Antiviral and Vaccine-Induced Immunity.
    We explore how intestinal helminth parasites impair antiviral defenses and suppress immune responses elicited by vaccination, aiming to elucidate the cellular and molecular pathways involved in this immunomodulation.
  2. Dendritic Cell-Mediated Regulation of Immune Responses to Viral Pathogens and Vaccines.
    We decipher the molecular signals by which dendritic cells interpret pathogen-derived cues to orchestrate adaptive immunity, focusing on the regulation of T cell responses that balance protection and pathology.
  3. Role of TNF Superfamily Members in Type 1 and Type 2 Immunity.
    We investigate the functions of TNF superfamily cytokines and receptors in shaping immune responses during infections with viral pathogens and helminth parasites, aiming to uncover novel regulatory mechanisms that influence disease outcomes.