Current:
PhD Student, Molecular Biosciences PhD Program
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Past:
BS, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Boston University

Herrera Lab Research Interests:
Arthritogenic alphaviruses such as chikungunya (CHIKV), o’nyong-nyong (ONNV), and Mayaro (MAYV) viruses are emerging global health threats that cause debilitating joint disease, yet remain understudied. Sainetra’s PhD research focuses on understanding the immunopathogenic mechanisms that drive alphavirus-induced arthritis, with an emphasis on how age and chemokine signaling shape CD4⁺ T cell responses in ONNV infection. In parallel, she has developed rapid RT-RPA diagnostic assays for CHIKV, ONNV, and MAYV, and demonstrated that the resulting amplicons can be sequenced for molecular epidemiologic surveillance. By integrating immunology and field-forward diagnostics, her work aims to improve both our mechanistic understanding of alphavirus disease and our capacity to detect and track these viruses in endemic regions.