Najib M. El-Sayed headshot
Contact Info
Office: 3128 Bioscience Research Bldg.
Phone: 301-405-2999
Website
Najib M. El-Sayed
Professor
Director, Integrated Life Sciences Honors Program

Teaching

  • Bioinformatics and Genomics (BISI620)
  • Programming for Biology (BISI622)
  • Topics in Scientific Integrity and Medical Ethics (HLSC227) 
  • Integrative and Quantitative Concepts in Biology (HLSC280)
  • Microbiology Internship (BSCI348R)

Graduate Program Affiliations

  • BISI-Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, & Genomics (CBBG)
  • BISI-Molecular & Cellular Biology (MOCB)

Research Interests

My research program is focused on the study of the biology of parasitism and host-pathogen interactions using genomic approaches with the ultimate goal of better understanding infection and survival mechanisms. These approaches include the development and application of molecular, computational and phylogenetic tools. In the long term, our research will contribute to better diagnosis, prevention and therapeutics of parasite- and bacteria-caused diseases in humans, animals and plants.

Education

  • Ph.D., Yale University School of Medicine, 1993

All Publications

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Latest Publications

Fernández OL,Belew AT,Rosales-Chilama M,Sánchez-Hidalgo A,Colmenares M,Saravia NG,El-Sayed NM
Interplay of human macrophage response and natural resistance of infection by L. (V.) panamensis to pentavalent antimony.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2025 Oct;19(10):e0013600. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0013600. Epub 2025 Oct 6
Gómez MA,Belew AT,Vargas DA,Giraldo-Parra L,Alexander N,Rebellón-Sánchez DE,Alexander TA,El-Sayed NM
Innate biosignature of treatment failure in human cutaneous leishmaniasis.
Nat Commun. 2025 Apr 4;16(1):3235. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-58330-3. Epub 2025 Apr 4
Fernández OL,Belew AT,Rosales-Chilama M,Sánchez-Hidalgo A,Colmenares M,Saravia NG,El-Sayed NM
Interplay of human macrophage response and natural resistance of L. ( V .) panamensis to pentavalent antimony.
bioRxiv. 2024 Nov 2;:. pii: 2024.10.29.620724. doi: 10.1101/2024.10.29.620724. Epub 2024 Nov 2
Augenstreich J,Poddar A,Belew AT,El-Sayed NM,Briken V
da_Tracker: Automated workflow for high throughput single cell and single phagosome tracking in infected cells.
Biol Open. 2024 Sep 15;13(9):. doi: 10.1242/bio.060555. Epub 2024 Sep 19
Hart MT,Rom JS,Le Breton Y,Hause LL,Belew AT,El-Sayed NM,McIver KS
The Streptococcus pyogenes stand-alone regulator RofA exhibits characteristics of a PRD-containing virulence regulator.
Infect Immun. 2024 Jun 11;92(6):e0008324. doi: 10.1128/iai.00083-24. Epub 2024 May 7
Augenstreich J,Poddar A,Belew AT,El-Sayed NM,Briken V
da_Tracker: Automated workflow for high throughput single cell and single phagosome tracking in infected cells.
bioRxiv. 2024 Apr 11;:. pii: 2024.04.10.588863. doi: 10.1101/2024.04.10.588863. Epub 2024 Apr 11
Giraldo-Parra L,Rebellón-Sánchez DE,Navas A,Belew AT,El-Sayed NM,Gómez MA
Consolidation of a Molecular Signature of Healing in Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Is Achieved during the First 10 Days of Treatment.
J Immunol. 2024 Mar 1;212(5):894-903. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2300576. Epub
El Husseini N,Mekonnen SA,Hall CL,Cole SJ,Carter JA,Belew AT,El-Sayed NM,Lee VT
Characterization of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway in Pseudomonas aeruginosa catheter-associated urinary tract infections.
J Bacteriol. 2024 Jan 25;206(1):e0036123. doi: 10.1128/jb.00361-23. Epub 2023 Dec 4
Vargas DA,Gregory DJ,Koren RN,Zilberstein D,Belew AT,El-Sayed NM,Gómez MA
Macrophage metallothioneins participate in the antileishmanial activity of antimonials.
Front Parasitol. 2023;2:. pii: 1242727. doi: 10.3389/fpara.2023.1242727. Epub 2023 Oct 4
Mekonnen SA,El Husseini N,Turdiev A,Carter JA,Belew AT,El-Sayed NM,Lee VT
Catheter-associated urinary tract infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa progresses through acute and chronic phases of infection.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Dec 13;119(50):e2209383119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2209383119. Epub 2022 Dec 5
Rom JS,Le Breton Y,Islam E,Belew AT,El-Sayed NM,McIver KS
Loss of rpoE Encoding the δ-Factor of RNA Polymerase Impacts Pathophysiology of the Streptococcus pyogenes M1T1 Strain 5448.
Microorganisms. 2022 Aug 22;10(8):. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms10081686. Epub 2022 Aug 22
Burcham LR,Akbari MS,Alhajjar N,Keogh RA,Radin JN,Kehl-Fie TE,Belew AT,El-Sayed NM,McIver KS,Doran KS
Genomic Analyses Identify Manganese Homeostasis as a Driver of Group B Streptococcal Vaginal Colonization.
mBio. 2022 Jun 28;13(3):e0098522. doi: 10.1128/mbio.00985-22. Epub 2022 Jun 6
Smith M,Yadav S,Fagunloye OG,Pels NA,Horton DA,Alsultan N,Borns A,Cousin C,Dixon F,Mann VH,Lee C,Brindley PJ,El-Sayed NM,Bridger JM,Knight M
PIWI silencing mechanism involving the retrotransposon nimbus orchestrates resistance to infection with Schistosoma mansoni in the snail vector, Biomphalaria glabrata.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2021 Sep;15(9):e0009094. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009094. Epub 2021 Sep 8
Gomez MA,Belew AT,Navas A,Rosales-Chilama M,Murillo J,Dillon LAL,Alexander TA,Martinez-Valencia A,El-Sayed NM
Early Leukocyte Responses in Ex-Vivo Models of Healing and Non-Healing Human Leishmania (Viannia) panamensis Infections.
Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2021;11:687607. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.687607. Epub 2021 Sep 7
Tavares TS,Mügge FLB,Grazielle-Silva V,Valente BM,Goes WM,Oliveira AER,Belew AT,Guarneri AA,Pais FS,El-Sayed NM,Teixeira SMR
A Trypanosoma cruzi zinc finger protein that is implicated in the control of epimastigote-specific gene expression and metacyclogenesis.
Parasitology. 2021 Sep;148(10):1171-1185. doi: 10.1017/S0031182020002176. Epub 2020 Nov 16
Lee VT,Ghodssi R,El-Sayed NM,Malik RD,Goloubeva OG,Hazen TH,Rasko DA
Draft Genome Sequence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strain PA14-UM.
Microbiol Resour Announc. 2020 Nov 12;9(46):. doi: 10.1128/MRA.00978-20. Epub 2020 Nov 12
Burcham LR,Le Breton Y,Radin JN,Spencer BL,Deng L,Hiron A,Ransom MR,Mendonça JDC,Belew AT,El-Sayed NM,McIver KS,Kehl-Fie TE,Doran KS
Identification of Zinc-Dependent Mechanisms Used by Group B Streptococcus To Overcome Calprotectin-Mediated Stress.
mBio. 2020 Nov 10;11(6):. doi: 10.1128/mBio.02302-20. Epub 2020 Nov 10
Hamidzadeh K,Belew AT,El-Sayed NM,Mosser DM
The transition of M-CSF-derived human macrophages to a growth-promoting phenotype.
Blood Adv. 2020 Nov 10;4(21):5460-5472. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020002683. Epub
Oliveira AER,Pereira MCA,Belew AT,Ferreira LRP,Pereira LMN,Neves EGA,Nunes MDCP,Burleigh BA,Dutra WO,El-Sayed NM,Gazzinelli RT,Teixeira SMR
Gene expression network analyses during infection with virulent and avirulent Trypanosoma cruzi strains unveil a role for fibroblasts in neutrophil recruitment and activation.
PLoS Pathog. 2020 Aug;16(8):e1008781. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008781. Epub 2020 Aug 18
Dalby E,Christensen SM,Wang J,Hamidzadeh K,Chandrasekaran P,Hughitt VK,Tafuri WL,Arantes RME,Rodrigues IA,Herbst R,El-Sayed NM,Sims GP,Mosser DM
Immune Complex-Driven Generation of Human Macrophages with Anti-Inflammatory and Growth-Promoting Activity.
J Immunol. 2020 Jul 1;205(1):102-112. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1901382. Epub 2020 May 20