Clinical Microbiology: Open Access

Leonard H Sigal

Leonard H Sigal
Professor, Department of Medicine & Pediatrics
University of Medicine , USA

Biography

Dr. Sigal is an internationally recognized expert in rheumatology and immunology with more than 25 years of research experience (preclinical, clinical and clinical trials, as well as basic science). The primary focus of his work has been the autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, with a specific focus on Lyme disease earlier in his career. He is board certified in both internal medicine and rheumatology and board eligible in clinical immunology and is the author of more than 300 publications. Dr. Sigal obtained his M.D. from StanfordUniversity and completed his internal medicine residency at Mt.SinaiMedicalCenter in New York City. He completed fellowships in Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology at Yale University, where his research was on T cell function in Lyme disease. While at Yale he developed an interest in pediatric rheumatology.

Research Interest

Dr. Sigal’s research interests included development of improved sero-confirmatory testing for Lyme disease, serving as Principal Investigator in a successful trial of a vaccine for Lyme disease, and explorations of the immunopathogenesis of neurologic Lyme disease, as well as the psychopathogenesis of chronic Lyme disease. His laboratory found evidence of molecular mimicry” between a protein in normal human nerve and in Borreliaburgdorferi, suggesting a potential auto-immune mechanism.