Danielle Stoll Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Appointee

​

Current Position

Sept 2026-present

Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Indiana University School of Medicine

Indianapolis, IN, USA

stolld(at)iu.edu

​

Training

​2024-2026 Postdoctoral Fellow

Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

​

2018-2023 PhD, Medicine - Nephrology

Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil

​

2015-2017 MSc, Medicine - Nephrology

Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil

​

2011-2014 Biological Sciences

Methodist University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

​

Research

I began my research career in Brazil, where my graduate work at the Federal University of São Paulo focused on the molecular mechanisms underlying kidney physiology and disease. During my MSc and PhD training in Nephrology, I became particularly interested in intracellular signaling and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS).

​

Using human mesangial cells as a model, I investigated how hormonal stimulation could influence intracellular components of the renin-angiotensin system. This work led me to explore the balance between the ACE/Ang II/AT1 and ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas receptor axes and how these pathways could be modulated within the cell.

​

My interest in translational science eventually took me beyond the laboratory and into clinical research. While completing my doctoral training, I began working in clinical trials and later became a Clinical Research Associate, monitoring Phase II and III multicenter studies across oncology, cardiovascular disease, and vaccine indications. Working at the interface between experimental science and clinical medicine gave me a broader perspective on how discoveries move from biological questions to studies involving patients. It also reinforced my interest in understanding disease mechanisms at a level that can ultimately inform human health.

​

In 2024, I joined Northwestern University as a postdoctoral fellow, where my research expanded into immunology, viral pathogenesis, and cellular stress biology. I became particularly interested in understanding how chronic cellular stress influences immune cell behavior, host protection, and mechanisms of immune evasion. I joined Martin Richer’s lab at Indiana University to deepen my knowledge of immunology, expand my technical expertise, and develop new skills that would help me grow as an independent scientist.

​

Across the different stages of my career—from renal cell signaling to clinical trials to viral immunology—one theme has remained constant: I want to understand how changes in cellular signaling reshape biological function and contribute to disease. My long-term scientific interests lie at the intersection of cellular signaling, immune regulation, stress-response pathways, and translational research, with the goal of identifying mechanisms and biomarkers that can help us better understand disease and, ultimately, improve human health.

​

Selected publications

Cruz NAN, Stoll D, Casarini DE, Bertagnolli M.Role of ACE2 in pregnancy and potential implications for COVID-19 susceptibility.Clinical Science. 2021;135:1805–1824.

​

​Stoll D, Yokota R, Sanches Aragão D, Casarini DE.
Both aldosterone and spironolactone can modulate the intracellular ACE/ANG II/AT1 and ACE2/ANG-(1-7)/MAS receptor axes in human mesangial cells.
Physiological Reports. 2019;7.

​

Russo TA, Stoll D, Nader HB, Dreyfuss JL.
Mechanical stretch implications for vascular endothelial cells: altered extracellular matrix synthesis and remodeling in pathological conditions.
Life Sciences. 2018;213:214–225.​​​

​