Lab Members

Ralph Valentine Crisostomo, PhD, received his doctorate in molecular biology from UCLA. His PhD thesis focused on developing CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing strategies in human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), with an emphasis on targeted gene integration, DNA repair modulation and optimization of donor delivery systems. In the Martins Lab, he investigates transcriptional and functional regulation of macrophages in inflammatory conditions, focusing on Blimp-1-mediated pathways that shape immune and metabolic regulation.

Jessica Santos, PhD, received her doctorate in basic and applied immunology from the University of Sao Paulo in Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Santos’ PhD thesis focused on neuroinflammatory and behavioral changes associated with cancer in experimental mice models, and included a one-year extended rotation in the laboratory of Leah Pyter, MD, (Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health and Neuroscience, Ohio State University Medical Center). Jessica’s current work in the Martins Lab investigates effector and regulatory pathways regulated by Blimp-1 in intraepithelial lymphocytes.

Blanca Osorio earned her bachelor of science in biomedical engineering from the University of California, Davis, in 2023. Her undergraduate work involved nanoparticle drug delivery to mediate inflammation in severe burn wounds and studying how bacteria affect neutrophil permeability at wound sites. Osorio joined the Martins lab in 2023 and oversees all mouse colony maintenance. She also assists with various lab projects, including investigating the mechanisms underlying the differentiation of monocytes into tissue-resident macrophages.