{"id":59,"date":"2017-05-16T14:51:40","date_gmt":"2017-05-16T18:51:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/?page_id=59"},"modified":"2026-04-13T09:19:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T13:19:19","slug":"lyme-team","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/lyme-disease-research\/lyme-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Lyme Disease Research Team"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"in-page-tabs\"><ul id=\"menu-lyme-disease\" class=\"menu nav nav-tabs\"><li id=\"menu-item-131\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/lyme-disease-research\/lyme-research\/\">Lyme Disease Research<\/a><\/li><li id=\"menu-item-128\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/lyme-disease-research\/lyme-team\/\">Lyme Disease Research Team<\/a><\/li><li id=\"menu-item-129\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/lyme-disease-research\/lyme-disease-collaborations\/\">Lyme Disease Collaborations<\/a><\/li><li id=\"menu-item-130\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/lyme-disease-research\/lyme-publications\/\">Lyme Disease Publications<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div id=\"pl-59\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-59-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-59-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-59-0-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_black-studio-tinymce widget_black_studio_tinymce panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><div class=\"textwidget\"><h5>Lyme Disease Research Team<\/h5>\n<h1>Lyme Disease Team<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-59-1\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-59-1-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-59-1-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_widget_sp_image widget_sp_image panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"1\" ><div class=\"panel-widget-style panel-widget-style-for-59-1-0-0\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"125\" alt=\"Justin D. Radolf, M.D.\" class=\"attachment-full\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/133\/2017\/05\/photo_radolf.jpg\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-59-1-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-59-1-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_black-studio-tinymce widget_black_studio_tinymce panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"2\" ><div class=\"textwidget\"><h2>Justin Radolf, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, Genetics and Genome Sciences, and Immunology<\/h2>\n<p>Justin Radolf received his B.S. degree in biology from Yale University in 1975. He attended medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, graduating in 1979. He was a resident in internal medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania from 1979 to 1982. As a fellow in infectious diseases at UCLA (1982-1986), he began his research career in spirochetology, specifically studying <em>Treponema pallidum<\/em>, the cause of syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease. His efforts to use recombinant DNA to identify outer membrane proteins of <em>T. pallidum<\/em> led to the discovery of the unique protein-deficient outer membrane of <em>T. pallidum<\/em>. Following fellowship, he continued his spirochete research as a faculty member at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. In the late 1980s, as Lyme disease began to emerge as an important public health problem, Radolf expanded his research program to include <em>Borrelia burgdorferi<\/em>, the cause of Lyme disease, the most prevalent arthropod-borne pathogen in the United States. In 1999, he relocated to UConn Health where he is currently professor of medicine, pediatrics, and <a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/genetics\/\">genetics and developmental biology<\/a>. He is an author or co-author on more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and more than 30 chapters or review. His spirochete research has been continuously funded by the NIH since 1988.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/facultydirectory.uchc.edu\/profile?profileId=Radolf-Justin\">Faculty Profile<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-59-2\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-59-2-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-59-2-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_widget_sp_image widget_sp_image panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"3\" ><div class=\"panel-widget-style panel-widget-style-for-59-2-0-0\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"100\" height=\"125\" alt=\"Melissa J. Caimano, Ph.D.\" class=\"attachment-full\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/133\/2019\/02\/caimano-melissa-20181114-encarnacion-8253.jpg\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-59-2-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-59-2-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_black-studio-tinymce widget_black_studio_tinymce panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"4\" ><div class=\"textwidget\"><h2>Melissa Caimano, Ph.D., PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE, PEDIATRICS, AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND BIOPHYSICS<\/h2>\n<p>Melissa Caimano received a B.S. degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1989. She attended graduate school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham doing her thesis work on the genetic elements involved in <em>Streptococcus pneumoniae<\/em> capsule biosynthesis. In 1996, Caimano began a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Justin Radolf at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, relocating to the University of Connecticut in 1999. Her work has focused primarily on the regulatory pathways and molecular mechanisms underlying mammalian host adaptation and maintenance of <em>Borrelia burgdorferi <\/em>within its natural enzootic cycle. Most notably, these studies have led to the discovery that the alternate sigma factor RpoS plays a critical role in the down-regulation, as well as up-regulation, of borrelial genes specifically in response to mammalian host signals. She has published more than 46 peer-reviewed articles on microbial pathogenesis and related areas in high impact journals. Her work examining the interaction between the Lyme disease spirochete and its arthropod vector is supported by grants awarded to her by the National Research Fund for Tick-Borne Diseases (NRFTD) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH\/NIAID). Caimano currently is an associate professor in the UConn Health Department of Medicine. She also has served on the Editorial Board of Infection and Immunity since 2006.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/facultydirectory.uchc.edu\/profile?profileId=Caimano-Melissa\">Faculty Profile<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-59-3\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-59-3-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-59-3-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_widget_sp_image widget_sp_image panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"5\" ><div class=\"panel-widget-style panel-widget-style-for-59-3-0-0\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"593\" height=\"703\" alt=\"Andr\u00e9 Alex Grassmann, Ph.D.\" class=\"attachment-full\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/133\/2021\/09\/Unknown.jpg 593w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/133\/2021\/09\/Unknown-253x300.jpg 253w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 593px) 100vw, 593px\" src=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/133\/2021\/09\/Unknown.jpg\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-59-3-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-59-3-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_black-studio-tinymce widget_black_studio_tinymce panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"6\" ><div class=\"textwidget\"><h2>Andr\u00e9 Alex Grassmann, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics<\/h2>\n<p>Andr\u00e9 received his B.S. degree in Biological Sciences in 2009 from the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Since his undergraduate research, Andr\u00e9 has studied pathogenic <em data-start=\"378\" data-end=\"390\">Leptospira<\/em> and leptospirosis. He received his M.S. degree in 2011 and his Ph.D. in 2015, both from UFPel Biotechnology School. In 2013, he was awarded a one-year Science without Borders fellowship from the Brazilian government and joined Drs. Caimano and Radolf to investigate differential gene expression by <em data-start=\"689\" data-end=\"713\">Leptospira interrogans<\/em> within the mammalian host to identify potential novel vaccine targets. After two years of postdoctoral research in Brazil, he returned to the Radolf and Caimano lab in 2017 to continue studying gene regulation in <em data-start=\"927\" data-end=\"939\">Leptospira<\/em> during host infection. In 2019, Andr\u00e9 expanded his research to <em data-start=\"1003\" data-end=\"1025\" data-is-only-node=\"\">Borrelia burgdorferi<\/em>, focusing on gene regulation in response to host- and vector-specific cues, particularly the convergence of c-di-GMP\u2013 and PlzA-dependent signaling with the RpoS pathway. In 2022, he was promoted to Instructor, and since 2024 he has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine.\u00a0His current research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of <em data-start=\"1380\" data-end=\"1396\">B. burgdorferi<\/em> gene regulation during the tick\u2013mammal infectious cycle, which represents his major area of investigation. In addition, his research addresses pathogenesis and vaccine development against <em data-start=\"1585\" data-end=\"1605\">Treponema pallidum<\/em> (syphilis) and <em data-start=\"1621\" data-end=\"1645\">Leptospira interrogans<\/em> (leptospirosis).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/facultydirectory.uchc.edu\/profile?profileId=Grassmann-Andre\">Faculty Profile<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-59-4\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-59-4-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-59-4-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_widget_sp_image widget_sp_image panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"7\" ><div class=\"panel-widget-style panel-widget-style-for-59-4-0-0\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1214\" height=\"2160\" alt=\"Melissa McLain\" class=\"attachment-full\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/133\/2025\/09\/Mel-Headshot.jpg 1214w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/133\/2025\/09\/Mel-Headshot-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/133\/2025\/09\/Mel-Headshot-576x1024.jpg 576w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/133\/2025\/09\/Mel-Headshot-768x1366.jpg 768w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/133\/2025\/09\/Mel-Headshot-863x1536.jpg 863w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/133\/2025\/09\/Mel-Headshot-1151x2048.jpg 1151w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1214px) 100vw, 1214px\" src=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/133\/2025\/09\/Mel-Headshot.jpg\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-59-4-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-59-4-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_black-studio-tinymce widget_black_studio_tinymce panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"8\" ><div class=\"textwidget\"><h2>Melissa McLain, M.S., Research Assistant II<\/h2>\n<p><span>Melissa \"Mel\" McLain received her B.A. in Biology from Assumption College (Worcester, MA) in 2014 and earned her M.S. in Biomolecular Science from Central Connecticut State University in 2018, where she conducted thesis research on dopamine regulation of the ASH receptor in <\/span><i>Caenorhabditis elegans<\/i><span>. She joined the Spirochete Research Laboratory in 2018 and was promoted to Research Assistant II in 2024. Mel is integral to the lab\u2019s bench operations, where she supports investigations into <\/span><i>Borrelia burgdorferi<\/i><span>\u00a0pathogenesis and gene regulation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-59-5\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-59-5-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-59-5-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_widget_sp_image widget_sp_image panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"9\" ><div class=\"panel-widget-style panel-widget-style-for-59-5-0-0\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"728\" height=\"858\" alt=\"Tiffany T. Bunde\" class=\"attachment-full\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/133\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-27-at-11.14.02.jpeg 728w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/133\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-27-at-11.14.02-255x300.jpeg 255w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px\" src=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/133\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-27-at-11.14.02.jpeg\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-59-5-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-59-5-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_black-studio-tinymce widget_black_studio_tinymce panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"10\" ><div class=\"textwidget\"><h2>Tiffany Thurow Bunde, M.S., PH.D. STUDENT<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"206\" data-end=\"449\">Tiffany is a Ph.D. candidate in Biotechnology at the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), Brazil. She is visiting the Spirochete Research Labs for nine months as a CAPES (Coordena\u00e7\u00e3o de Aperfei\u00e7oamento de Pessoal de N\u00edvel Superior) fellow.\u00a0Tiffany earned her M.S. in Biotechnology from UFPel, where she developed a strong foundation in molecular microbiology and infectious disease research. Her work focuses on understanding the pathogenesis of <em data-start=\"657\" data-end=\"669\">Leptospira<\/em> species and advancing vaccine development strategies against leptospirosis. <span>During her time at the Spirochete Research Labs, Tiffany is also investigating gene regulatory mechanisms in <\/span><em data-start=\"856\" data-end=\"878\">Borrelia burgdorferi<\/em><span>, expanding her expertise in spirochete biology and host-pathogen interactions.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lyme Disease Research Team Lyme Disease Team Justin Radolf, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, Genetics and Genome Sciences, and Immunology Justin Radolf received his B.S. degree in biology from Yale University in 1975. He attended medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, graduating in 1979. He was a resident [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"parent":27,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-blank.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-23 11:19:58","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/59"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59"}],"version-history":[{"count":48,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/59\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":651,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/59\/revisions\/651"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/27"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/spirochete-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}