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In the Jensen laboratory, we study the immunology and pathogenesis of the obligate intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of human toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasma has been dubbed the “ubiquitous” parasite because it infects all species of mammals, a variety of birds and a third of...

Welcome new Jensen lab members - Jake, Aades and Marissa!

News: June 02, 2025

Welcome to 3 new trainees in the Jensen lab - 1st year graduate student Jake Velen, and undergraduate researchers Aades Dhillon and Marissa Lopez. Your passion for science is inspiring and we are excited to see your career's unfold!

Marissa Lopez

Person: Undergraduate researcher [Sophmore]

Marissa joined the Jensen lab through UC Merced's UROC SURI program in 2025. She is busy working on vaccines for T. gondii.

Angel Kongsomboonvech

Person: Ph.D. '15-'20 Postdoc Stanford University

Angel obtianed her Ph.D. in my lab stydying how T. gondii virulence factors manipulate CD8 T cell responses.She graduated from UCLA with a B.S. and received her Master’s degree from Quinnipiac University. Angel is interested in all things parasites, and is currently doing her Postdoc at Stanford...

Juan Sanchez-Arcila

Person: Postdoctoral Scholar

Graduated with his doctoral degree from FIOCRUZ, Rio De Janeiro. Juan has a wealth of experience in the immunology of human infectious diseases, and is interested in finding a vaccine for parasites using the Collaborative Cross. Picture of me and Juan at the Paramo, outside Bogata.

Forward Genetics in Apicomplexa Biology: The Host Side of the Story

Publication: Journal Article

Sanchez-Arcila, Juan C, and Kirk D. C. Jensen. 2022. “Forward Genetics in Apicomplexa Biology: The Host Side of the Story”. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology 12 (878475).

Training the Fetal Immune System Through Maternal Inflammation—A Layered Hygiene Hypothesis.

Publication: Journal Article

Apostol, April C., Kirk D. C. Jensen, and Anna E. Beaudin. 2020. “Training the Fetal Immune System Through Maternal Inflammation—A Layered Hygiene Hypothesis.”. Frontiers in Immunology 11 (123).

Thymic Selection Determines γδ T Cell Effector Fate: Antigen-Naive Cells Make Interleukin-17 and Antigen-Experienced Cells Make Interferon γ

Publication: Journal Article

Jensen, Kirk D. C., Xiaoqin Su, Sunny Shin, Luke Li, Sawsan Youssef, Sho Yamasaki, Lawrence Steinman, et al. 2008. “Thymic Selection Determines γδ T Cell Effector Fate: Antigen-Naive Cells Make Interleukin-17 and Antigen-Experienced Cells Make Interferon γ”. Immunity, no. 29(1): 90-100.

Variation in CD8 T cell IFNγ differentiation to strains of Toxoplasma gondii is characterized by small effect QTLs with contribution from ROP16

Publication: Journal Article

Kongsomboonvech, Angel K., Laura García-López, Ferdinand Njume, Felipe Rodriguez, Scott P. Souza, Alex Rosenberg, and Kirk D. C. Jensen. 2023. “Variation in CD8 T Cell IFNγ Differentiation to Strains of Toxoplasma Gondii Is Characterized by Small Effect QTLs With Contribution from ROP16”. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.

Both maternal IFNγ exposure and acute prenatal infection with Toxoplasma gondii activate fetal hematopoietic stem cells

Publication: Journal Article

López, Diego A, Kelly S Otsuka, April C Apostol, Jasmine Posada, Juan C Sanchez-Arcila, Kirk D C Jensen, and Anna E. Beaudin. 2023. “Both Maternal IFNγ Exposure and Acute Prenatal Infection With Toxoplasma Gondii Activate Fetal Hematopoietic Stem Cells”. The EMBO Journal.