Mitzi Nagarkatti

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Mitzi Nagarkatti is a researcher and a university administrator who has served as the Chair of the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology at the University of South Carolina (USC) School of Medicine at Columbia, SC, since 2005.  She is also the SmartState Endowed Chair of the Center for Cancer Drug Discovery and Carolina Distinguished Professor. She pursues research in inflammatory diseases, immunotoxicology, and immunopharmacology. She has been recognized for her research contributions through numerous awards leading to her election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences, Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, and Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.  

Mitzi Nagarkatti has also been recognized for her service through numerous awards, such as the Virginia Commonwealth University’s Women in Science, Dentistry, and Medicine Professional Development Award, USC's Breakthrough Leadership Award, USC School of Medicine's Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Award, and the first USC School of Medicine's Award for Advancement of Women in Science and Medicine.   In 2022, she was elected President of the Association of Medical School Microbiology and Immunology Chairs (AMSMIC).  She will serve on the Board of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences from 2023 to 2026.  She was also elected to serve on the American Association of Immunologists Finance Committee for 2021–2024.

Nagarkatti has made numerous discoveries on how cannabinoids attenuate inflammation as well as kill certain types of cancers. Her studies have shown that cannabinoids can attenuate numerous autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, autoimmune hepatitis, and colitis, as well as inflammatory diseases such as Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, PTSD, endometriosis, and the like.  Her laboratory has also shown how activation of CB2 receptors by cannabinoids attenuates colonic inflammation and colon cancer, and that CB1 blocking can attenuate obesity through induction of unique miRNA.  She has also worked extensively on cannabidiol (CBD) to treat inflammatory diseases.  Research from her laboratory demonstrating that CBD can be used to treat autoimmune hepatitis was the basis for FDA to approve its use as an orphan drug to treat this disorder.

Nagarkatti's laboratory has also studied the effect of a number of botanicals and natural products, including resveratrol, ginseng, Sparstolonin-B, indoles, and the like, on autoimmune diseases and cancer.  Her laboratory discovered that Bryostatin-1 (Bryo-1), a macrocyclic lactone isolated from the marine bryozoan acts as a TLR-4 ligand and can activate dendritic cells.  Her collaborative work in this area led to a major discovery that Bryostatin-1 can be used to treat latent HIV infection and formed the basis for clinical trials on the use of Bryostatin as a latent infection-reversing agent in HIV-infected patients. Nagarkatti's laboratory also demonstrated how certain botanicals, such as Indole-3-Carbinol, act as ligands for the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor and regulate inflammation.

Nagarkatti has also written extensively in ''The Conversation'' on various topics such as COVID-19 vaccines, inflammation, endocannabinoids, marijuana cannabinoids and the like.

Nagarkatti has served on grant review panels for funding agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Veterans Administration, Department of Defense, American Cancer Society, Swiss Cancer League, Health Research Board of Ireland, New Zealand Oncology Grants, National Research Council, US Army Medical R&D Command, and USDA Animal Health and Diseases. She has served as a regular member of the NIH Systemic Injury by Environmental Exposure Study Section.  She was appointed by the US Secretary of Health and Human Service, Dr. Sebelius, to the National Toxicology Program (NTP) Board of Scientific Counselors at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) for a 4-year term.  Nagarkatti has also served as a Chartered National Center for Research Resources (NCRR, NIH) member.

Nagarkatti has also established an endowment fund at the Society of Toxicology (SOT) to recognize graduate students and postdoctoral scholars for research excellence and to enable them to attend the SOT Annual Meetings. Provided by Wikipedia