BioBuzz’s Buzzin’ Brood Student Spotlight series celebrates the future of life sciences talent — and the programs, institutions, and organizations investing in them.
Name: Gabriel Galeotos
Hometown: Canton, Massachusetts
Institution: George Washington University (Washington, DC)
Role: PhD Candidate, Rebecca Lynch Lab, George Washington University
For Gabriel Galeotos, a career in medical research was inspired by a personal experience. When his great-grandfather developed cardiac-related health issues, Gabriel became interested in understanding diseases and exploring potential treatments. As an undergraduate at the University of New Haven, he began researching viruses associated with myocarditis, an experience that motivated him to pursue a PhD.
Now a PhD candidate in Microbiology and Immunology at George Washington University, Gabriel researches antibody responses and their potential role in HIV cure strategies in Dr. Rebecca Lynch’s laboratory. With a growing interest in antibody-based diagnostics and therapeutics, he hopes to build a career in biotechnology research and eventually lead a team while mentoring future scientists.
We sat down with Gabriel to discuss his journey into immunology, the research exciting him today, and his goals for the future.
How did you get here?
I was always curious as a child. My interest in the medical field specifically came when my great-grandfather began having cardiac-related health issues during my freshman year of college. I noticed that there was a lack of curative treatments for these health issues, and many of the treatments were focused on extending life while dealing with the diagnoses.
After this experience, I became interested in medical research, which led me to find Dr. Anna Kloc’s lab as an undergrad at the University of New Haven. There, I ran PCRs to identify viruses in human heart tissues that could have contributed to the development of myocarditis.
This research experience led to my desire to get my PhD, focusing on understanding the immune system response to viruses and how that can affect human health. At George Washington University, I joined Dr. Rebecca Lynch’s lab, where we focus on antibodies and how the autologous antibody response can affect HIV cure strategies.
While in this lab, I fell in love with antibodies and their multiple uses in both diagnosis and cure strategies across various diseases.
What is currently blowing your mind right now?
I am particularly interested in shark variable new antigen receptors (VNARs). These are naturally occurring, single-domain antibodies that are among the smallest antigen-binding molecules found in vertebrates. These antibodies have the potential to access hard-to-reach epitopes across different diseases. I am very interested in how we could use them in the future to improve diagnostics and treatments for cancer and infectious diseases.
I am similarly interested in how the antibody response changes over time. Typically, your IgG immune response is made up of 4 subclasses (1–4), with IgG4 being a very rare population (under 5% serum abundance). However, recent work has shown that this antibody subclass becomes the predominant antibody class following multiple COVID-19 booster shots.
I would like to gain a deeper understanding of why the distribution of IgG subclasses changes over time, what it could mean for immune responses, and how we can leverage it for better outcomes in a variety of diseases.
If you could explain yourself right now in only emojis…
😂🤓👨🏼🔬🐶🌯🍣☕️🏈🦠📖
I’m someone who loves to laugh and is always looking for an opportunity to make the people around me laugh, usually at my own expense. I’m a nerd through and through, whether that means keeping up with the latest superhero shows (Lanterns was amazing!), building LEGO sets, or getting way too invested in a good sci-fi or fantasy book. Currently, I’m deep into Dungeon Crawler Carl. I’m also passionate about science, which is both my career and something I genuinely love learning about.
Outside of that, I’ve always been surrounded by dogs (my family has pretty much always had three), so I’m a huge dog lover. I love exploring new restaurants, trying different cuisines, and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen. I’m also a loyal Denver Broncos fan.
If you could travel into the future… what does your LinkedIn headline say?
Director of Antibody Discovery & Development | Translational Immunology | Advancing Antibody-Based Diagnostics and Therapeutics | Scientific Mentor & Research Leader
In 10 years, I would like to be leading a team in industry. In this role, I would like to combine my interest in antibody research with the ability to mentor the next generation of scientists. I have been fortunate to have some great mentors who have helped me in my journey, and I would like to give back to help future scientists accomplish their goals.
I would like to connect with like-minded individuals who want to share any insights into their day-to-day experiences and opinions on how to advance in the industry environment. Additionally, I would be interested in discussing the most valuable skills and qualities to excel and grow in this field as I complete the final year of my PhD program, with the ultimate goal of obtaining a job in a biotech company.
What is your favorite quote and why?
One of my favorite quotes is, “One day or day one, you decide.”
I connect with this quote because I used to get bogged down worrying about the future and things outside of my control. This quote helps me to remain centered and focus on the process to accomplish what I can in the present; these small victories will help to accomplish my major goals.
