A Collaborative Lab Community
Graduate students, summer researchers, and undergraduate scholars working together to advance parasitology and vaccine science at USM.
Meet the Team →The Marques Lab investigates host–pathogen interactions and glycan-mediated immunity to design targeted vaccines against vector-borne and neglected tropical diseases. In collaboration with the Finn Lab at Georgia Tech, which provides our virus-like particle (VLP) platforms, we functionalize these VLPs with synthetic α-Gal epitopes and specific peptide antigens— translating molecular glycobiology into precision immunotherapies for Leishmania, Trypanosoma cruzi, and tick-borne pathogens.
"We develop life-saving vaccines against neglected tropical diseases — reaching the communities conventional medicine has long overlooked."
DR. ALEXANDRE F. MARQUES · PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
What We Study
The Marques Lab harnesses the power of virus-like particles (VLPs) and α-Gal carbohydrate epitopes to engineer immunity against parasitic diseases that affect millions of people worldwide — yet remain chronically underfunded. Our work spans vaccine development, immunotherapy, diagnostics, and computational antigen design.
Our α-Gal VLP platform is produced in collaboration with the Finn Lab at Georgia Tech, led by Prof. M.G. Finn — see our Collaborators page.
"α-Gal epitopes displayed on icosahedral VLPs elicit potent Th1 immunity and protect against Leishmania and T. cruzi infections in validated murine models."
Principal Investigator
Latest News
The Marques Lab published a comprehensive open-access narrative review synthesizing Leishmania pathogenesis, the Th1/Th2 immune landscape, and evolving immunotherapy strategies including α-Gal VLP platforms.
Read Paper → doi:10.3389/fmicb.2026.1861933Oduwe Ugochukwu and Giorgi Kenkebashvili represented the lab at the AAI Annual Meeting in Boston, presenting a poster on VLP-based peptide vaccines targeting T. cruzi trans-sialidase for Chagas disease.
See All Lab Achievements →Get In Touch
We welcome inquiries from prospective students, collaborators, and the scientific community. Reach out to learn more about our research or opportunities to join the lab.
Around the Lab
Ugochukwu Oduwe selected to present at the AAPS Emerging Graduate Student Highlights Webinar.
Lab’s Chagas vaccine study featured in a news article on sm2media.com.
New paper on a Tc85-peptide/VLP Chagas vaccine candidate published in ACS Omega.
The lab got together for a cookout and hangout in the woods.
Edward Valencia Ayala joins the lab as a postdoctoral researcher.