Dr. Rafael Tomoya Michita, a postdoctoral associate at Baylor College of Medicine, has been named a 2025 STAT Wunderkind by the health and life sciences news organization STAT. The annual award highlights young scientists who have made significant contributions to their fields before reaching full independence as researchers.
Dr. Michita works in Dr. Indira Mysorekar’s laboratory, where his research focuses on immunological tolerance during pregnancy and how viruses such as Zika and HIV exploit these mechanisms to infect the placenta. His goal is to improve outcomes for maternal and fetal health.
“My motivation began soon after completing my bachelor of science, when I worked for more than two years as a medical laboratory scientist in a referral hospital in Brazil,” Tomoya said. “Most of the patient samples I analyzed came from pregnant women, and I realized how little is known about pregnancy disorders and how limited our options are to manage conditions such as preterm birth, infections and preeclampsia.”
He described this experience as pivotal: “I knew I could contribute to these important knowledge gaps in maternal health through science, building on my experience in both basic and translational research,” Tomoya said. “My journey formally started in the laboratory of Dr. José Artur Bogo Chies at Brazil’s Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul working with reproductive immunology. His positive mentorship played a major part in my career development.”
After moving abroad, Dr. Michita faced challenges adapting to new systems but found support among colleagues and mentors. “Luckily, science is universal, and with the support of my colleagues and Dr. Mysorekar, my integration was much faster,” he said.
Since joining Mysorekar’s lab in 2021, Dr. Michita has advanced research into how Zika virus spreads through the placenta by discovering that the virus uses tunneling nanotubes—tiny tubes between cells—to transfer viral particles to uninfected neighboring cells. This finding could inform future therapeutic strategies targeting this mode of transmission.
Looking ahead, Dr. Michita plans to remain in the United States to establish his own laboratory focused on maternal-fetal health research. He recently received an NIH K99/R00 award supporting his career progression: “My plan is to stay in the United States and establish my own laboratory to keep pushing the boundaries of discovery and work to improve maternal-fetal health through science,” he said. “In September I received an NIH K99/R00 award, which is helping me drive my career forward. And being recognized as a STAT Wunderkind is a very exciting accolade. I felt that all the efforts, long hours, and weekends in the lab were worth it – not in a negative way, but because I had a lot of fun!”
Dr. Mysorekar praised her mentee’s achievements: “It has been a privilege to mentor Dr. Rafael Tomoya, and I am delighted he is being honored with the STAT Wunderkind Award!” she said. “Rafael’s work is already reshaping our understanding of placental vulnerability to viral infections – a question of enormous importance to maternal-fetal health worldwide. I can say without hesitation that he is poised to be a trailblazer in virology and maternal-fetal medicine. Rafael is not only a brilliant scientist but he also is a gifted mentor and an inspiring leader for the next generation of scientists. He is a true wunderkind!"
