Joshua A. Kochanowsky, PhD

Research Focus

Broadly, research in the lab focuses on the pathogenesis and molecular biology of the protozoan parasite Trichomonas vaginalis. T. vaginalis is the causative agent of the most common non-viral sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide, trichomoniasis. Compared to other STIs the detection rate of T. vaginalis does not decrease with age and reaches maximum rates in women 48-51 years old, raising the possibility that physiological and immunological changes due to menopause may make the female reproductive tract (FRT) more conducive to Tv infection. A focus on the host-pathogen interactions that drive infection and the unique immune response of the FRT will be key in revealing how T. vaginalis mediates pathology. While we still know very little about mechanisms that drive pathogenesis, in the past decade it has been discovered that T. vaginalis secretes extracellular vesicles (TvEVs) that can be internalized by host cells and parasites.