Description of Clinical Expertise

Dr. Mangalmurti serves as an attending physician for the Medical Intensive Care Unit and the Procedure and Resuscitation Service at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Mangalmurti’s clinical interests include acute lung injury and the management of the critically ill patient.

Description of Research Expertise

I am a physician-scientist and practicing critical care physician whose research defines how red blood cells regulate innate immunity and how these functions can be harnessed for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. My laboratory investigates the mechanisms through which red blood cells sense and bind circulating nucleic acids, maintain immune homeostasis, and alter inflammatory responses in sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and other diseases.

Our laboratory discovered that red blood cells express the nucleic acid–sensing receptor Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) and bind and sequester cell-free DNA, establishing an immune function for these abundant circulating cells. Building on this discovery, we investigate how red cell DNA and RNA sensing, interactions with immune cells, and clearance by phagocytes shape inflammation and tissue injury. We integrate mechanistic studies, genetically engineered mouse models, organ-on-a-chip systems, and patient specimens to connect fundamental biology with human disease.

A complementary translational program examines red blood cell–bound nucleic acids as a source of diagnostic information in cancer and infectious diseases, with the goal of developing new liquid biopsy approaches. Our overarching objective is to define red blood cells as active regulators of immunity and translate their biology into strategies that improve disease detection and treatment.