Lena Al-Harthi

Lena Al-Harthi is the Thomas J. Coogan Sr., MD, Chair of Immunology in the Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity at Rush University. Her research focuses on HIV neuropathogenesis, neuroinflammation, and the mechanisms by which viral infection and drugs of abuse, such as methamphetamine, impair neuronal and astrocytic function. Her recent work includes using microglia-containing cerebral organoids to model HIV infection, investigating sex-specific neuronal dysfunction in the medial prefrontal cortex, and characterizing altered IgG glycosylation and autoimmunity in the cerebrospinal fluid of severe COVID-19 patients. She also studies the skeletal effects of antiretroviral drugs, including abacavir’s stimulation of β-catenin activity in osteoblast lineage cells.