Renuka Nayak, MD, PhD

Assoc Professor in Residence
Primary Thematic Area
M_MED-VAMC-RHEU
Secondary Thematic Area
Research Summary
Elucidating the impact of the human gut microbiome on the treatment of autoimmune disease. Microbiology, translational studies with human samples, metagenomics, gnotobiotics, metabolomics, immunology.
Mentorship Development

2017 - Scientific Leadership and Laboratory Management Course, UCSF
1/2022 - DEI Champion Training
10/2022 - UCSF-TRAIN-UP program (now called Inclusive Research Mentor/Manager Training)
2/2022 - Raising a Resilient Researcher (NIH-OITE)

+1 415 221-4810 ext. 22398

The Nayak Lab studies the human gut microbiome and its impact on the treatment of autoimmune and rheumatic disease. We use cutting-edge technologies, such next-generation sequencing, anaerobic microbiology, metabolomics, gnotobiotics, single-cell phenotyping, and CRISPR to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which microbes impact human health and disease. We are also a translational research lab that obtains and studies patient samples; our goal is make discoveries with strong clinical implications. 

In the Nayak Lab, you can expect to become an expert on multiple of the following skills:

  • Analysis and visualization of large datasets using programming languages such as R
  • Generation and analysis of sequencing libraries, such as metagenomics, transcriptomics and transposon-sequencing libraries
  • In vitro anaerobic microbiology
  • Analytical chemistry, including HPLC, LC-MS, MALDI-TOF and qTOF
  • Gnotobiology and mouse models of autoimmunity
  • Single cell immune profiling
  • Analysis of patient specimens from observational cohorts and interventional studies

We seek to understand the mechanisms by which gut microbes impact the treatment of autoimmune disease using cutting-edge technologies. We strive to advance precision medicine for patients with rheumatic disease.

Publications