Ritu Chakravarti, PhD, joined the department of internal medicine at the University of Kentucky in 2025. She is the inventor of an anti-Rheumatoid Arthritis vaccine and an associate professor of internal medicine in the division of rheumatology, with a joint appointment in microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics.
Dr. Chakravarti鈥檚 research centers on the molecular mechanisms governing immune system regulation, with a particular focus on the 14-3-3z protein and its role in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Her cutting-edge research has earned her a prestigious R01 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institute of Health (NIH). This grant supports her study of the role of 14-3-3zeta in cytokine signaling, specifically Interleukin-17A (IL-17A). IL-17A has important implications in rheumatoid arthritis and may be a therapeutic target to reduce the heightened inflammatory response. The critical work provides avenues for understanding and developing new treatments for people with rheumatoid arthritis.
Previously, her work has been funded by the American Heart Associate (AHA), Vasculitis Foundation, American Association of Immunologists, and the Ohio Department of Health. She currently serves as an associate editor for several high-impact journals such as Immunobiology, Frontiers in Immunology, and PLOS ONE, and is actively involved in grant reviews for NIH and AHA study sections.
Beyond her research, Dr. Chakravarti has been active in leadership roles within the Autumn Immunology Conference and the American Association of Immunologists. Her work bridges basic immunology, translational medicine, and therapeutic innovation. She is excited to collaborate on exploring immune regulation and designing next-generation strategies for treating other immunological diseases.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01AI184880. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.