Joni M. Prasad, PhD

• The Ohio State University, BS, Biochemistry, 2005
• University of Cincinnati, PhD, Immunobiology, 2012
• University of Maryland School of Medicine, Postdoctoral Fellow, Vascular and Inflammatory Disease

Dr. Prasad received her PhD in Immunobiology from the University of Cincinnati. Her thesis research explored the crosstalk between the hemostatic and inflammatory systems, focusing on the role of fibrinogen and other hemostatic proteins in Staphylococcus aureus bacterial infection. As a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Disease at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, she examined the precise binding mechanism of a lipoprotein receptor, LRP1, to its inhibitor, RAP, and used this information to develop a more potent inhibitor for LRP1, which has been licensed commercially. Dr. Prasad serves as the Assistant Dean for Research Affairs and the Conflict of Interest Officer for the School of Medicine. In these roles, she is responsible for working with faculty and administrative staff to build the research enterprise at the school.

lrp1, protein biochemistry, lipoprotein receptor, hemostasis, S. aureus, infection, fibrinogen

Prasad JM*, Negron O*, Du X, Mullins ES, Palumbo JS, Gilbertie JM, Höök M, Grover SP, Pawlinski R, Mackman N, Degen JL, Flick MJ. “Host Fibrinogen drives antimicrobial function in S. aureus peritonitis through bacterial-mediated prothrombin activation.” PNAS. 2021 Jan 5;118(1):e2009837118

Prasad JM, Shipley MT, Rogers TB, Puche AC. “National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant awards: does past performance predict future success?” Palgrave Commun. 6, 54 (2020). 

Prasad JM, Young PA, Strickland DK. “High Affinity Binding of the Receptor-associated Protein D1D2 Domains with the Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-related Protein (LRP1) Involves Bivalent Comlex Formation: CRITICAL ROLES OF LYSINES 60 and 191.” J. Biol. Chem. 2016 Aug 26;291(35):18430-9.

Prasad JM, Gorkun OV, Raghu H, Thornton S, Mullins ES, Palumbo JS, Ko YP, Höök M, David T, Coughlin SR, Degen JL, Flick MJ. “Mice expressing a mutant form of fibrinogen that cannot support fibrin formation exhibit compromised antimicrobial host defense.” Blood. 2015 Oct 22; 126(17):2047-58.

Prasad JM, Migliorini M, Galisteo, R, Strickland DK. “Generation of a potent Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-related Protein 1 (LRP1) antagonist by engineering a stable form of the Receptor-Associated Protein (RAP) D3 domain.” J. Biol. Chem. 2015 Jul 10;290(28):17262-8.

Flick MJ, Du X, Prasad JM, Raghu H, Palumbo JS, Smeds E, Höök M, Degen JL. “Genetic elimination of the binding motif on fibrinogen for the S. aureus virulence factor ClfA improves host survival in septicemia.” Blood. 2013 Mar 7;121(10):1783-94.

Mullins ES, Kombrinck KW, Talmage KE, Shaw MA, Witte DP, Ullman JM, Degen SJ, Sun W, Flick MJ, Degen JL. “Genetic elimination of prothrombin in adult mice is not compatible with survival and results in spontaneous hemorrhagic events in both heart and brain.” Blood. 2009 Jan 15;113(3):696-704.