People

Emrah Altindis, Ph.D

Principal Investigator

Dr. Emrah Altındiş is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Boston College and an adjunct faculty member at Harvard Medical School and Joslin Diabetes Center. His interdisciplinary research bridges insulin/IGF signaling, gut microbiome science, and autoimmunity, with two complementary research themes. The first centers on viral insulin/IGF-1-like peptides (VILPs)—which he discovered—and their inhibitory effects on the insulin/IGF signaling pathway, with translational implications for breast cancer. The second investigates how gut microbes influence the onset and progression of diseases such as Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and celiac disease, using cellular, animal, and multi-omics approaches. Supported by over $4 million in NIH and foundation funding, the Altındiş lab has published in various impactful journals. He is a dedicated mentor, having trained over six postdoctoral researchers—including two now in faculty positions— three graduate students and over 30 undergraduate researchers and is a strong advocate for equity in STEM through partnerships with programs supporting first-generation students.

Email me: altindis@bc.edu

Aurelien Chuard, Ph.D

Post Doctoral fellow

Dr. Chuard received his Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in Microbiology & Immunology from Bordeaux University (France). During his Ph.D. at the National Institute of Agronomics Research, he has worked on molecular aspects involved in the horizontal transmission of the avian Marek’s Disease Virus. In 2021, he joined Altindis lab with his molecular virologist background to unravel the associated functions of the viral insulins (VILPs) encoded by Iridioviruses.

Email me: chuard@bc.edu

Sudarshan Bhattacharjee, Ph.D

Senior Research Associate

Dr. Bhattacharjee recently joined the Altindis Lab at Boston College as Senior research associate. His career has been dedicated to research in metabolic reprogramming, growth factor signaling, angiopathy, and mRNA-based therapies, with a focus on diseases such as diabetes, retinopathy, and renal disorders. Dr. Bhattacharjee brings experience from his previous roles at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, where he has honed his skills in both experimental and computational methods. At the Altindis Lab, he is excited to contribute to groundbreaking research that aligns with his passion for advancing scientific knowledge and improving patient outcomes.

Email me: bhattsud@bc.edu

Keiichiro Mine, Ph.D

Post Doctoral fellow

Dr. Keiichiro received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Medical Technology from Kyushu University, Japan. He has studied the pathogenesis of virus-induced diabetes and
the role of γδ T cells in inflammation at the Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Japan, where he received his Ph.D. in immunology in 2020. After completing his
Ph.D., he worked as a postdoctoral fellow and project assistant professor at Saga University, Japan. His studies revealed the diverse role of Tyrosine kinase 2 in the pathogenesis of virus-induced and autoimmune diabetes. He joined Altindis lab in April 2024 to study the role of gut microbiota in autoimmune type 1 diabetes.

Email me: minek@bc.edu

Akina Osaki, MD/Ph.D

Post Doctoral fellow

Dr. Akina is a passionate researcher dedicated to exploring novel therapeutic strategies. During her PhD studies at Keio University (Japan), she investigated the impact of gut microbial metabolites, specifically D-amino acids, on host energy metabolism. As a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, she studied transcriptomic changes in the host’s gut and liver during Citrobacter rodentium infection, which sparked her deep interest in immunology. In 2025, she joined the Altindis Lab to investigate the effects of VILPs on various cancers and treatment-resistant diseases.

Email me: osakia@bc.edu

Audrey Randall

Graduate Student

Audrey received her Bachelor’s degree in microbiology from the University of Maryland – College Park. After working as a research aid in the Diet, Genomics, Immunology Lab at the US Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, she decided to pursue a PhD at Boston College focusing on microbiology. She joined the Altindis lab in April 2022 and is now studying the roles of Parabacteriodes distasonis and other human gut commensals in autoimmune diabetes onset.

Email me: randalau@bc.edu

Kris Kelley

Graduate Student

Kris Kelley is a PhD candidate in the Altindis Lab, where they are exploring the relationship between the
gut microbiome and pediatric celiac disease. Kristina’s academic journey began with undergraduate
research in Dr. Catherine McCusker’s lab at UMass Boston. Following their undergraduate studies, they pursued a two-year post-baccalaureate fellowship in the same lab, focusing on neurogenic control of size regulation in axolotl limb regeneration. Outside of the lab, Kristina enjoys outdoor activities, playing cribbage, and riding their motorcycle.

Email me: kelleyhq@bc.edu

Katherine Truelson

Graduate Student

Hi, I’m Kat! I’ve been working in the microbiology field since 2016 when I began working in the laboratory of Dr. James Kirby studying antimicrobial resistance at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA, while I completed my undergraduate degree at Boston University. I obtained my degree in biology, specializing in cellular biology, molecular biology, and genetics. After graduating in late 2017, I worked at the sequencing core at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, MA before finding a position with Dr. Howard Shuman at the University of Chicago studying the pathogenesis of Legionella pneumophila. After 2.5 years with Dr. Shuman, I moved back to Boston to continue my research on antimicrobial resistance in clinical bacterial isolates while searching for a graduate program. I am fascinated by the pathogenicity of microbes in various disease states, and that is why I am spending my Ph.D. studying how microbial molecular mimics trigger the autoimmune response in type 1 diabetes onset.

Email me: truelson@bc.edu