Position: Associate Professor of Medicine

Organization: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Biography Text: Felipe Andrade, MD, PhD. Associate Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. I am a physician-scientist, and my research is focused on identifying mechanisms that drive the initiation and propagation of systemic autoimmune diseases, with an interest in translational applications. I have a broad background in the study of autoimmune rheumatic diseases, with specific training and expertise both in clinical rheumatology and basic immunology. My work has contributed to understanding the role of granzymes in autoimmunity and viral clearance, the discovery of novel autoantigens and mechanisms that drive citrullination in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and pathogenic mechanisms triggered by autoantibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus. In particular, we have identified host (perforin and complement) and bacterial-mediated membranolytic pathways as critical effector components that induce citrullination in RA, as well as the periodontal pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans as a candidate bacterial trigger for RA.