My research uses animal models of infectious disease paired with multidisciplinary approaches to understand host immune responses to human pathogens, with special interest in emerging biodefense-relevant viral threats.

An arbovirologist by training, my graduate work was aimed at defining key determinants of transmission and adaptation of re-emerging mosquito-borne flaviviruses and alphaviruses. The characterization of viral glycoprotein variants that elicited inflammation of varying severity in the host prompted my interest in understanding how host responses shape the outcome of disease. Currently as a postdoc at LLNL I am focused on understanding the role of innate immune responses in the neuropathology of encephalitic alphaviruses. My goal is to bridge gaps in understanding of the fundamental virology and immunology involved while also uncovering avenues for new translational solutions. 

PhD, Microbiology, New York University, New York, NY

B.S., Biological Sciences, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA

Rangel MV, McAllister N, Dancel-Manning K, Noval MG, Silva LA, Stapleford KA. Emerging Chikungunya Virus Variants at the E1-E1 Interglycoprotein Spike Interface Impact Virus Attachment and Inflammation. J Virol. 2022 Feb 23;96(4):e0158621. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01586-21. Epub 2021 Dec 22. PMID: 34935436; PMCID: PMC8865554.

Rangel MV, Catanzaro N, Thannickal SA, Crotty KA, Noval MG, Johnson KEE, Ghedin E, Lazear HM, Stapleford KA. Structurally Conserved Domains between Flavivirus and Alphavirus Fusion Glycoproteins Contribute to Replication and Infectious-Virion Production. J Virol. 2022 Jan 26;96(2):e0177421. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01774-21. Epub 2021 Nov 10. PMID: 34757841; PMCID: PMC8791257. 

Rangel MV, Stapleford KA. Alphavirus Virulence Determinants. Pathogens. 2021 Aug 3;10(8):981. doi: 10.3390/pathogens10080981. PMID: 34451445; PMCID: PMC8401390. 

Johnson KEE, Noval MG, Rangel MV, De Jesus E, Geber A, Schuster S, Cadwell K, Ghedin E, Stapleford KA. Mapping the evolutionary landscape of Zika virus infection in immunocompromised mice. Virus Evol. 2020 Dec 11;6(2):veaa092. doi: 10.1093/ve/veaa092. PMID: 33408879; PMCID: PMC7772475.

Webb LG, Veloz J, Pintado-Silva J, Zhu T, Rangel MV, Mutetwa T, Zhang L, Bernal-Rubio D, Figueroa D, Carrau L, Fenutria R, Potla U, Reid SP, Yount JS, Stapleford KA, Aguirre S, Fernandez-Sesma A. Chikungunya virus antagonizes cGAS-STING mediated type-I interferon responses by degrading cGAS. PLoS Pathog. 2020 Oct 15;16(10):e1008999. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008999. PMID: 33057424; PMCID: PMC7591055.

Noval MG, Rodriguez-Rodriguez BA, Rangel MV, Stapleford KA. Evolution-Driven Attenuation of Alphaviruses Highlights Key Glycoprotein Determinants Regulating Viral Infectivity and Dissemination. Cell Rep. 2019 Jul 9;28(2):460-471.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.06.022. PMID: 31291581; PMCID: PMC7141928.

Hu K, Jordan AT, Zhang S, Dhabaria A, Kovach A, Rangel MV, Ueberheide B, Li H, Darwin KH. Characterization of Guided Entry of Tail-Anchored Proteins 3 Homologues in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. J Bacteriol. 2019 Jun 21;201(14):e00159-19. doi: 10.1128/JB.00159-19. PMID: 31036728; PMCID: PMC6597400.