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Haunted by the Hantavirus
MONIQUE F. STINS, M.A.T., Ph.D.
Researcher, Professor, Educator

Please note: During the summer season, often our members give informal Platforms on subjects interest them. Topics can be serious or humorous, ranging from anything to everything. They can be off topics from our typical Sunday Platforms. They are always educational. And we thank our members who volunteer to share with us of their time and talents. Enjoy!

This platform will be delivered in hybrid format, which means you can attend the platform via Zoom or in person at the Impact Hub Baltimore. Masks are optional.

STATEMENT:
I am (semi-retired now) Associate Professor and both teach and am still involved in biomedical research.

My research interests revolve around the role that the blood vessels in the brain play in modulating neurological function under different stress conditions, such as microbial exposure. I have studied interactions of different neuro-pathogens (such as E.coli meningitis, Neuro-HIV, COVID and cerebral malaria) with the blood brain barrier. My special interest was in cerebral malaria (CM) which is a serious complication of infection with the Plasmodium parasite. This infection is especially serious in young children and can lead to neurologic sequlae in survivors. My lab uses mainly in vitro models to study the role of the blood brain barrier (BBB) in neurological infections. I have also collaborated with physicians in Zambia and studied role of chemokines in cerebral malaria patients.

In addition, I have an interest in education, and have taught middle and high school students, hosted high school students in my laboratory and mentored undergraduate students. I teach courses at various levels, from Biology 110 at the community college level to Graduate courses in Neuroimmunology at Johns Hopkins. I set up and taught a biology laboratory course in Maryland prisons through the Goucher College Prison Educational Partnership (GPEP). I enjoy judging for the NTSA-Toshiba ExploraVision, especially learning of the ideas that K-12 students have for our future.

Physical Location:
Impact Hub Baltimore
10 E. North Ave
Baltimore, MD 21202

PROFESSIONAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCE:

Current:
Associate Professor, Biomedical Research Institute of Southern California CA,
Assoc Professor adj., Bloomberg SPH, MMI-Malaria Research Institute
Assoc Professor adj., Johns Hopkins SOM, Div. NeuroImmunology
Professor adj. Community College Baltimore County
Previous experience:
Postdoctoral fellow, Dept Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY
Postdoctoral fellow, Pediatric Infect. Dis. Children’s Hospital LA, Los Angeles, CA.
Assistant Professor, Pediatric Infect. Dis. Johns Hopkins S.O.M., Baltimore, MD.

Editorial board.
Associate editor Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and International Journal of Molecular Sciences (Special Issue Blood brain Barrier and Neurodysfunction)
Ad hoc reviewer of manuscripts for: American Association for Advancement of Science, Alcoholism Clinical Experimental Research, Blood, British Medical Journal, Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, Frontiers Stem Cells, Frontiers Neurodegeneration, Glia, Journal of Adhesion and Technology, Journal Infectious Diseases, Journal Pediatric Biochemistry, Malaria Journal, Molecular Neurobiology, Nature Methods, Nature Scientific Reports, PLOS Pathogens, Proteomics, Science Translational Medicine, Thrombosis Haemostasis and others.
Peer grant review activities (alphabetical order)
Ad hoc grant reviewer: American Heart Association USA, European Commission, Brussels, EU, Kent Science Foundation USA, National Institutes of Health (various study sections), Bethesda, USA, Welcome Trust, UK and others.

PUBLICATIONS:
Selection of recent publications.
See full bibliography at NCBI (93 publications). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1poSmQ51EcOQ8/bibliography/public/
1. Stins MF, Gramaglia I, Velez J, Pardo CA, van der Heyde H. Neuronal Damage in Murine Experimental Cerebral Malaria, Implications for Neuronal Repair and Sequelae. Cells. 2025 May 30;14(11):807. doi: 10.3390/cells14110807. PMID: 40497983
2. Stins MF, Mtaja A, Mulendele E, Mwimbe D, Pinilla-Monsalve GD, Mutengo M, Pardo CA, Chipeta J. Inflammation and Elevated Osteopontin in Plasma and CSF in Cerebral Malaria Compared to Plasmodium-Negative Neurological Infections. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Sep 5;25(17) PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11394774.
3. Stins MF, Mtaja A, Mulendele E, Mwimbe DW, Pinilla G, Mutengo M, Pardo CA, Chipeta J. Elevated brain derived neurotrophic factor in plasma and interleukin-6 levels in cerebrospinal fluid in meningitis compared to cerebral malaria. J Neurol Sci. 2023 Jul 15;450:120663. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2023.120663. 24
4. Manjusha Thakar, Midrelle E Noumbissi, Monique F Stins. Microvascular Environment Influences Brain Microvascular Heterogeneity: Relative Roles of Astrocytes and Oligodendrocytes for the EPCR Expression in the Brain Endothelium. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Apr 7;24(8):6908.doi: 10.3390/ijms24086908.
5. Schiess NE, Villabona-Rueda A, Cottier CE, Huether K, Chipeta J, Stins MF. Pathophysiology and neurologic sequelae of cerebral malaria. Malaria J, 2020 Jul 23;19(1):266.
6. Villabona-Rueda A, Erice C, Pardo CA and Stins MF. The evolving concept of the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB): From a single static barrier to a heterogeneous and dynamic relay center", Frontiers Neuroscience. 2019.00405. 9-2019
7. Gramaglia I, Velez J, Chang YS, Caparros-Wanderley W, Combes V, Grau G, Stins MF, van der Heyde HC. Citrulline protects mice from experimental cerebral malaria by ameliorating hypoargininemia, urea cycle changes and vascular leak. PLoS One. 2019 Mar 8;14(3):
8. Noumbissi ME, Galasso B, Stins MF. Brain vascular heterogeneity: implications for disease pathogenesis and design of in vitro blood-brain barrier models. Fluids Barriers CNS. 2018 Apr 23;15(1):12.
9. Fitzsimmons C, Johnstone D, Conant K, St Hillaire C, Parsons CH, Stins M, Moir R and Milward EA. Soluble lipoprotein receptor-related protein immunoreactive species in cell culture media and serum replacement supplements. Anal. Methods, 2017,9, 110-116
10. Cha SJ, Park K, Srinivasan P, Schindler CW, van Rooijen N, Stins M, Jacobs-Lorena M. CD68 acts as a major gateway for malaria sporozoite liver infection. J Exp Med. 2015 Aug 24;212(9):1391-403.
11. Avril M, Tripathi AK, Brazier AJ, Andisi C, Janes JH, Soma VL, Sullivan DJ Jr, Bull PC, Stins MF, Smith JD. A restricted subset of var genes mediates adherence of Plasmodium falciparum infected erythrocytes to brain endothelial cells. PNAS 2012 Jun 26;109(26):E1782-90.
12. Langhorne J, Buffet P, Galinski M, Good M, Harty J, Leroy D, Mota MM, Pasini E, Renia L, Riley E, Stins M, Duffy P.The relevance of non-human primate and rodent malaria models for humans. Malar J. 2011 Feb 2;10(1):23
13. Tripathi AK, Sha W, Shulaev V, Stins MF, Sullivan DJ Jr. Plasmodium falciparum infected erythrocytes induce NF-kappaB regulated inflammatory pathways in human cerebral endothelium. Blood. 2009 Nov 5;114(19):4243-52
14. Tripathi AK, Sha W, Shulaev V, Stins MF, Sullivan DJ Jr.. Plasmodium falciparum Infected Erythrocytes decreases Blood Brain Barrier integrity. Journal Infect Dis. 2007

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