Kaitlyn Sadtler, Ph.D.

Kaitlyn Sadtler, Ph.D.
Senior Investigator, Section on Immunoengineering, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)

Dr. Kaitlyn Sadtler is a scientist and chief of the Section on Immunoengineering at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), focusing on the immune response to traumatic soft tissue injury and subsequent reconstruction.

She began her lab at NIBIB after a postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the Department of Chemical Engineering, working on the molecular mechanisms of immune activation in the foreign body response. She completed her Ph.D. at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where her research showed a role for immune cells in biomaterial-mediated muscle regeneration.

Dr. Sadtler has led research that has been published in journals such as Science, Nature Communications, Nature Materials, and Science Translational Medicine. She was recognized as a TED Fellow and delivered a TED talk that was listed as one of the top-viewed talks of 2018. She was selected for the Forbes 30 Under 30 Science List, the MIT Technology Review’s 35 Innovators Under 35, the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders, the TIME100 Next List, and the National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine’s New Voices Program. She also received the 2021 Outstanding Recent Graduate Award from Johns Hopkins University and an honorary doctorate from her undergraduate institution, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).

At NIH, Dr. Sadtler lent her lab’s expertise to the fight against COVID-19, leading a study that detected 16.8 million undiagnosed SARS-CoV-2 infections in the United States after the first pandemic wave in the country. She continues her work on immunoengineering in the context of traumatic injury, focusing on the balance of tolerance and autoimmunity during tissue reconstruction. In 2023, her group published a study implicating a new immune cell type in self-tolerance after volumetric muscle loss.

Research Interests

  • Immunology
  • Regenerative Medicine
  • Tissue Engineering
  • Foreign Body Response

Publications

Long-Term Stability of Bacterial Extracellular Vesicles Stored at Different Temperatures.
Rama Varma ABorris FKant PSadtler KFathi P
J Extracell Biol
2026 May

Electronic health record mining reveals effects of patient immune status on clinical outcomes of biomaterial implantation following skeletal muscle damage.
Sharma SHorton IJosyula ASadtler K
Biomater Sci
2026 May 19

An infusible extracellular matrix biomaterial improves survival in a model of severe systemic inflammation.
Karkanitsa MLWang RMLyons ACMesfin JMChen ASpang MTQuintero FSadtler KHepokoski MChristman KL
NPJ Regen Med
2025 Oct 31

Damage signals preferentially activate killer CD8 regulatory T cells to protect injured tissue.
Josyula AFertil DHartigan DRRudy PSharma SFashina TMaclean ECoogan ABNgo
TBSundaresan VSadtler K
bioRxiv
2025 Jan 14

Humoral Immunity Profiling to Pandemic and Bat-Derived Coronavirus Variants: A Geographical Comparison.
Fathi PAlfonso ALYek CPutman ZDrew MEsposito DZaidi IChea SLy SSath RLon CChea HLeang RHuy RLy SSeng HTan CWZhu FWang LFOliveira FSadtler KManning J
Adv Sci (Weinh)
2025 Jan

Eosinophils Respond to Extracellular Matrix Treated Muscle Injuries but are Not Required for Macrophage Polarization.
Lokwani RFertil DHartigan DRJosyula ANgo TBSadtler K
Adv Healthc Mater
2025 Feb

Development of a predictive algorithm for patient survival after traumatic injury using a five analyte blood panel.
Fathi PKarkanitsa MRupert ALin ADarrah JThomas FDLai JBabu KNeavyn MKozar RGriggs CCunningham KWSchulman CICrandall MSereti IRicotta ESadtler K
medRxiv
2024 Jun 11

Basic immunologic study as a foundation for engineered therapeutic development.
DeStefano SFertil DFaust MSadtler K
Pharmacol Res Perspect
2024 Aug

Conserved and tissue-specific immune responses to biologic scaffold implantation.
DeStefano SHartigan DRJosyula AFaust MFertil DLokwani RNgo TBSadtler K
Acta Biomater
2024 Aug

Factors Affecting the Evaluation of Collagen Deposition and Fibrosis .
Fathi PSundaresan VAlfonso ALRama Varma ASadtler K
Tissue Eng Part A
2024 May

Intersection of Immunity, Metabolism, and Muscle Regeneration in an Autoimmune-Prone MRL Mouse Model.
Ngo TBJosyula ADeStefano SFertil DFaust MLokwani RSadtler K
Adv Sci (Weinh)
2024 Mar

Pro-regenerative biomaterials recruit immunoregulatory dendritic cells after traumatic injury.
Lokwani RJosyula ANgo TBDeStefano SFertil DFaust MAdusei KMBhuiyan MLin AKarkanitsa MMaclean EFathi PSu YLiu JVishwasrao HDSadtler K
Nat Mater
2024 Jan

Ectopic adipogenesis in response to injury and material implantation in an autoimmune mouse model.
Ngo TBJosyula ADeStefano SFertil DFaust MLokwani RSadtler K
bioRxiv
2023 Oct 07

Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence in a Large US population Over a Period of 12 Months.
Karkanitsa MLi YValenti SSpathies JKelly SHunsberger SYee LCroker JAWang JAlfonso ALFaust MMehalko JDrew MDenson JPPutman ZFathi PNgo TBSiripong NBaus HAPetersen BFord EWSundaresan VJosyula AHan AGiurgea LTRosas LABean RAthota RCzajkowski LKlumpp-Thomas CCervantes-Medina AGouzoulis MReed SGraubard BHall MDKalish HEsposito DKimberly RPReis SSadtler KMemoli MJ
medRxiv
2023 Oct 21

Characterization of the antispike IgG immune response to COVID-19 vaccines in people with a wide variety of immunodeficiencies.
Zendt MBustos Carrillo FAKelly SSaturday TDeGrange MGinigeme AWu LCallier VOrtega-Villa AFaust MChang-Rabley EBugal KKenney HKhil PYoun JHOsei GRegmi PAnderson VBosticardo MDaub JDiMaggio TKreuzburg SPala FPfister JTreat JUlrick JKarkanitsa MKalish HKuhns DBPriel DLFink DLTsang JSSparks RUzel GWaldman MAZerbe CSDelmonte OMBergerson JREDas SFreeman AFLionakis MSSadtler Kvan Doremalen NMunster VNotarangelo LDHolland SMRicotta EE
Sci Adv
2023 Oct 13

Conserved and tissue-specific immune responses to biologic scaffold implantation.
DeStefano SJosyula AFaust MFertil DLokwani RNgo TBSadtler K
bioRxiv
2023 Aug 17

Label-free cleared tissue microscopy and machine learning for 3D histopathology of biomaterial implants.
Ngo TBDeStefano SLiu JSu YShroff HVishwasrao HDSadtler K
J Biomed Mater Res A
2023 Jun

Leveraging CTSA hubs for rapid, large-scale, high-impact research: A case study during a global public health emergency.
Croker JAValenti SBaus HAFord EWMathias DYasko LMcGaughey DSmith TUnderwood KAvolio JSadtler KMemoli MJKimberly RPReis SE
J Clin Transl Sci
2023

Adaptive immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 persist in the pharyngeal lymphoid tissue of children.
Xu QMilanez-Almeida PMartins AJRadtke AJHoehn KBOguz CChen JLiu CTang JGrubbs GStein SRamelli SKabat JBehzadpour HKarkanitsa MSpathies JKalish HKardava LKirby MCheung FPreite SDuncker PCKitakule MMRomero NPreciado DGitman LKoroleva GSmith GShaffer AMcBain ITMcGuire PJPittaluga SGermain RNApps RSchwartz DMSadtler KMoir SChertow DSKleinstein SHKhurana STsang JSMudd PSchwartzberg PLManthiram K
Nat Immunol
2023 Jan

Examining multi-level immune response to determine prevalence of COVID-19 in pediatric tonsillectomy.
Mudd PRomero NBehzadpour HXu QRana MSGitman LPreciado DKarkanitsa MSpathies JSadtler KKalish HSchwartzberg PLManthiram K
Laryngoscope
2023 Aug

Development of a High-Color Flow Cytometry Panel for Immunologic Analysis of Tissue Injury and Reconstruction in a Rat Model.
Adusei KMNgo TBAlfonso ALLokwani RDeStefano SKarkanitsa MSpathies JGoldman SMDearth CLSadtler KN
Cells Tissues Organs
2023

Comprehensive profiling of the human viral exposome in households containing an at-risk child with mitochondrial disease during the 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic.
Gordon-Lipkin EMMarcum CSKruk SThompson EKelly SEMKalish HBellusci LKhurana SSadtler KMcGuire PJ
Clin Transl Med
2022 Nov

Undiagnosed COVID-19 in households with a child with mitochondrial disease.
Gordon-Lipkin EMMarcum CKruk SThompson EKelly SEMKalish HSadtler KMcGuire PJ
medRxiv
2022 Mar 23

Robust, persistent adaptive immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in the oropharyngeal lymphoid tissue of children.
Xu QMilanez-Almeida PMartins AJRadtke AJHoehn KBChen JLiu CTang JGrubbs GStein SRamelli SKabat JBehzadpour HKarkanitsa MSpathies JKalish HKardava LKirby MCheung FPreite SDuncker PCRomero NPreciado DGitman LKoroleva GSmith GShaffer AMcBain ITPittaluga SGermain RNApps RSadtler KMoir SChertow DSKleinstein SHKhurana STsang JSMudd PSchwartzberg PLManthiram K
Res Sq
2022 Mar 23

SARS-CoV-2 Cross-Reactivity in Prepandemic Serum from Rural Malaria-Infected Persons, Cambodia.
Manning JZaidi ILon CRosas LAPark JKPonce ABohl JChea SKarkanitsa MSreng SRekol HChour CMEsposito DTaubenberger JKMemoli MJSadtler KDuffy PEOliveira F
Emerg Infect Dis
2022 Feb

Rapidly Increasing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Seroprevalence and Limited Clinical Disease in 3 Malian Communities: A Prospective Cohort Study.
Sagara IWoodford JKone MAssadou MHKatile AAttaher OZeguime ADoucoure MHigbee ELane JMohan RDoritchamou JZaidi IEsposito DKwan JSadtler KDicko ADuffy PE
Clin Infect Dis
2022 Mar 23

Mobilizing Endogenous Repair Through Understanding Immune Reaction With Biomaterials.
Karkanitsa MFathi PNgo TSadtler K
Front Bioeng Biotechnol
2021

Lung epithelial and endothelial damage, loss of tissue repair, inhibition of fibrinolysis, and cellular senescence in fatal COVID-19.
D'Agnillo FWalters KAXiao YSheng ZMScherler KPark JGygli SRosas LASadtler KKalish HBlatti CAZhu RGatzke LBushell CMemoli MJO'Day SJFischer TDHammond TCLee RCCash JCPowers MEO'Keefe GEButnor KJRapkiewicz AVTravis WDLayne SPKash JCTaubenberger JK
Sci Transl Med
2021 Nov 17

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Seroassay Performance and Optimization in a Population With High Background Reactivity in Mali.
Woodford JSagara IDicko AZeguime ADoucoure MKwan JZaidi IDoritchamou JSnow-Smith MAlani NRenn JKosik IHolly JYewdell JEsposito DSadtler KDuffy P
J Infect Dis
2021 Dec 15

Pre-pandemic SARS-CoV-2 serological reactivity in rural malaria-experienced Cambodians.
Manning JZaidi ILon CRosas LAPark JKPonce ABohl JChea SKarkanitsa MSreng SRekol HChour CMEsposito DTaubenberger JKMemoli MJSadtler KDuffy PEOliveira F
medRxiv
2021 Sep 28

SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence and Drug Use in Trauma Patients from Six Sites in the United States.
Ngo TBKarkanitsa MAdusei KMGraham LARicotta EEDarrah JRBlomberg RDSpathies JPauly KJKlumpp-Thomas CTravers JMehalko JDrew MHall MDMemoli MJEsposito DKozar RAGriggs CCunningham KWSchulman CICrandall MNeavyn MDorfman JDLai JTWhitehill JMBabu KMMohr NMVan Heukelom JFell JCRooke WKalish HThomas FDSadtler K
medRxiv
2021 Aug 11

Undiagnosed SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
Kalish HKlumpp-Thomas CHunsberger SBaus HAFay MPSiripong NWang JHicks JMehalko JTravers JDrew MPauly KSpathies JNgo TAdusei KMKarkanitsa MCroker JALi YGraubard BICzajkowski LBelliveau OChairez CSnead KRFrank PShunmugavel AHan AGiurgea LTRosas LABean RAthota RCervantes-Medina AGouzoulis MHeffelfinger BValenti SCaldararo RKolberg MMKelly ASimon RShafiq SWall VReed SFord EWLokwani RDenson JPMessing SMichael SGGillette WKimberly RPReis SEHall MDEsposito DMemoli MJSadtler K
Sci Transl Med
2021 Jul 07

Rapidly increasing SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and limited clinical disease in three Malian communities: a prospective cohort study.
Sagara IWoodford JKone MAssadou MHKatile AAttaher OZeguime ADoucoure MHigbee ELane JDoritchamou JZaidi IEsposito DKwan JSadtler KDicko ADuffy P
medRxiv
2021 Apr 29

SARS-CoV-2 seroassay optimization and performance in a population with high background reactivity in Mali.
Sagara IWoodford JDicko AZeguime ADoucoure MKwan JZaidi IDoritchamou JSnow-Smith MAlani NRenn JKosik IHolly JYewdell JEsposito DSadtler KDuffy P
medRxiv
2021 Mar 12

Serologic Cross-Reactivity of SARS-CoV-2 with Endemic and Seasonal Betacoronaviruses.
Hicks JKlumpp-Thomas CKalish HShunmugavel AMehalko JDenson JPSnead KRDrew MCorbett KSGraham BSHall MDMemoli MJEsposito DSadtler K
J Clin Immunol
2021 Jul

Mapping a Pandemic: SARS-CoV-2 Seropositivity in the United States.
Kalish HKlumpp-Thomas CHunsberger SBaus HAFay MPSiripong NWang JHicks JMehalko JTravers JDrew MPauly KSpathies JNgo TAdusei KMKarkanitsa MCroker JALi YGraubard BICzajkowski LBelliveau OChairez CSnead KFrank PShunmugavel AHan AGiurgea LTRosas LABean RAthota RCervantes-Medina AGouzoulis MHeffelfinger BValenti SCaldararo RKolberg MMKelly ASimon RShafiq SWall VReed SFord EWLokwani RDenson JPMessing SMichael SGGillette WKimberly RPReis SEHall MDEsposito DMemoli MJSadtler K
medRxiv
2021 Jan 31

Standardization of ELISA protocols for serosurveys of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic using clinical and at-home blood sampling.
Klumpp-Thomas CKalish HDrew MHunsberger SSnead KFay MPMehalko JShunmugavel AWall VFrank PDenson JPHong MGulten GMessing SHicks JMichael SGillette WHall MDMemoli MJEsposito DSadtler K
Nat Commun
2021 Jan 04

Effect of D614G Spike Variant on Immunoglobulin G, M, or A Spike Seroassay Performance.
Klumpp-Thomas CKalish HHicks JMehalko JDrew MMemoli MJHall MDEsposito DSadtler K
J Infect Dis
2021 Mar 03

Improved production of SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) for serology assays.
Mehalko JDrew MSnead KDenson JPWall VTaylor TSadtler KMessing SGillette WEsposito D
Protein Expr Purif
2021 Mar

Improved production of SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) for serology assays.
Mehalko JDrew MSnead KDenson JPWall VTaylor TSadtler KMessing SGillette WEsposito D
bioRxiv
2020 Nov 18

IL-17 and immunologically induced senescence regulate response to injury in osteoarthritis.
Faust HJZhang HHan JWolf MTJeon OHSadtler KPeña ANChung LMaestas DRTam AJPardoll DMCampisi JHousseau FZhou DBingham COElisseeff JH
J Clin Invest
2020 Oct 01

Engineered PLGA microparticles for long-term, pulsatile release of STING agonist for cancer immunotherapy.
Lu XMiao LGao WChen ZMcHugh KJSun YTochka ZTomasic SSadtler KHyacinthe AHuang YGraf THu QSarmadi MLanger RAnderson DGJaklenec A
Sci Transl Med
2020 Aug 12

D614G Spike Variant Does Not Alter IgG, IgM, or IgA Spike Seroassay Performance.
Klumpp-Thomas CKalish HHicks JMehalko JDrew MMemoli MJHall MDEsposito DSadtler K
medRxiv
2020 Jul 10

Serologic cross-reactivity of SARS-CoV-2 with endemic and seasonal Betacoronaviruses.
Hicks JKlumpp-Thomas CKalish HShunmugavel AMehalko JDenson JPSnead KDrew MCorbett KGraham BHall MDMemoli MJEsposito DSadtler K
medRxiv
2020 Jun 23

Standardization of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for serosurveys of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic using clinical and at-home blood sampling.
Klumpp-Thomas CKalish HDrew MHunsberger SSnead KFay MPMehalko JShunmugavel AWall VFrank PDenson JPHong MGulten GMessing SHicks JMichael SGillette WHall MDMemoli MEsposito DSadtler K
medRxiv
2020 May 25

Optimizing high-yield production of SARS-CoV-2 soluble spike trimers for serology assays.
Esposito DMehalko JDrew MSnead KWall VTaylor TFrank PDenson JPHong MGulten GSadtler KMessing SGillette W
bioRxiv
2020 May 28

Optimizing high-yield production of SARS-CoV-2 soluble spike trimers for serology assays.
Esposito DMehalko JDrew MSnead KWall VTaylor TFrank PDenson JPHong MGulten GSadtler KMessing SGillette W
Protein Expr Purif
2020 Oct

Interleukin 17 and senescent cells regulate the foreign body response to synthetic material implants in mice and humans.
Chung LMaestas DRLebid AMageau ARosson GDWu XWolf MTTam AJVanderzee IWang XAndorko JIZhang HNarain RSadtler KFan HČiháková DLe Saux CJHousseau FPardoll DMElisseeff JH
Sci Transl Med
2020 Apr 15

Delivery of mRNA vaccines with heterocyclic lipids increases anti-tumor efficacy by STING-mediated immune cell activation.
Miao LLi LHuang YDelcassian DChahal JHan JShi YSadtler KGao WLin JDoloff JCLanger RAnderson DG
Nat Biotechnol
2019 Oct

A biologic scaffold-associated type 2 immune microenvironment inhibits tumor formation and synergizes with checkpoint immunotherapy.
Wolf MTGanguly SWang TLAnderson CWSadtler KNarain RCherry CParrillo AJPark BVWang GPan FSukumar SPardoll DMElisseeff JH
Sci Transl Med
2019 Jan 30

Divergent immune responses to synthetic and biological scaffolds.
Sadtler KWolf MTGanguly SMoad CAChung LMajumdar SHousseau FPardoll DMElisseeff JH
Biomaterials
2019 Feb

Optimization of a Degradable Polymer-Lipid Nanoparticle for Potent Systemic Delivery of mRNA to the Lung Endothelium and Immune Cells.
Kaczmarek JCKauffman KJFenton OSSadtler KPatel AKHeartlein MWDeRosa FAnderson DG
Nano Lett
2018 Oct 10

Biological scaffold-mediated delivery of myostatin inhibitor promotes a regenerative immune response in an animal model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Estrellas KMChung LCheu LASadtler KMajumdar SMula JWolf MTElisseeff JHWagner KR
J Biol Chem
2018 Oct 05

A hierarchy of affinities between cytokine receptors and the common gamma chain leads to pathway cross-talk.
Gonnord PAngermann BRSadtler KGombos EChappert PMeier-Schellersheim MVarma R
Sci Signal
2018 Apr 03

Proteomic composition and immunomodulatory properties of urinary bladder matrix scaffolds in homeostasis and injury.
Sadtler KSommerfeld SDWolf MTWang XMajumdar SChung LKelkar DSPandey AElisseeff JH
Semin Immunol
2017 Feb

The Scaffold Immune Microenvironment: Biomaterial-Mediated Immune Polarization in Traumatic and Nontraumatic Applications.
Sadtler KAllen BWEstrellas KHousseau FPardoll DMElisseeff JH
Tissue Eng Part A
2017 Oct

Developing a pro-regenerative biomaterial scaffold microenvironment requires T helper 2 cells.
Sadtler KEstrellas KAllen BWWolf MTFan HTam AJPatel CHLuber BSWang HWagner KRPowell JDHousseau FPardoll DMElisseeff JH
Science
2016 Apr 15

Tissue matrix arrays for high-throughput screening and systems analysis of cell function.
Beachley VZWolf MTSadtler KManda SSJacobs HBlatchley MRBader JSPandey APardoll DElisseeff JH
Nat Methods
2015 Dec

Dysregulated Macrophages Are Present in Bleomycin-Induced Murine Laryngotracheal Stenosis.
Hillel ATSamad IMa GDing DSadtler KPowell JDLane APHorton MR
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg
2015 Aug