Edward Schuler, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
I graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State School in 2017 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences. My primary project focuses on the neglected zoonotic disease, leptospirosis, caused by pathogenic Leptospira species. I am developing novel vaccines and diagnostic antigens using a chimeric epitope-based recombinant protein approach. My second area of research is focused on studying the adaptive and regulatory systems of Leptospira. Specifically, I am studying the regulatory role of the cyclic nucleotides, c-di-AMP and c-di-GMP. Lastly, to further understand disease dynamics in the wild, which have direct implications on the spread to and from human populations, I am working with the USDA, Pennsylvania Game Commission, and collaborators at the University of Pennsylvania to assess exposure as measured by antibody screening to tick-borne pathogens and leptospirosis in diverse wildlife including foxes, coyotes, raccoons, black bears, black vultures and groundhogs from endemic regions of the United States.