March Fellow's Spotlight on Dr. Juan Inclan-Rico

Our March Fellow's Spotlight goes to Dr. Juan Inclan-Rico! Dr. Inclan-Rico is a post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Wenqin Luo’s lab in the Department of Neuroscience at the Perelman School of Medicine in the University of Pennsylvania, where he studies skin immunity and the role of itch-neurons in regulating immune activation in the context of infectious and non-infectious conditions.

Dr. Inclan-Rico began his scientific career in Mexico, as an undergraduate majoring in biochemistry and pharmaceutics at the School of Chemistry of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He came to the United States to pursue his PhD in biomedical sciences at Rutgers, New Jersey Medical School, where he joined the laboratory of Dr. Mark Siracusa and investigated immunity against parasitic helminths (Inclan-Rico et al., PLOS Pathogens, 2020, Inclan-Rico et al., Nature Immunology, 2020).

His first post-doctoral position allowed him to delve further into helminths and immunity, exploring the roles of neurons in the mix. As a member of Dr. De'Broski Herbert's laboratory in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, he made pivotal discoveries regarding the role of itch-neurons as intermediators in immune regulation  (Inclan-Rico et al. Nature Immunology, 2024, Inclan-Rico et al. bioRxviv, 2025). These studies were awarded prestigious awards from the Life Sciences Research Foundation (LSRF) and the Skin Biology and Diseases Resource-based Center (SBDRC) at the University of Pennsylvania.

Now in his second post-doctoral position gaining further expertise in neurobiology, he is making plans to launch his independent research career.  As as an emerging leader in new field of neuro-immunoparasitology, Dr. Inclan-Rico is poised to make significant strides in the field, with his recent NIH K99/R00 application (Pathway to Independence Award) receiving a high score of 16 (the top is 10) by the study section.

Juan Inclan Rico, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania

Briefly describe your research, why it is important, and what motivates you to pursue this area?

The skin is the largest sensory organ as well as the first line of defense against invading pathogens. Keratinocytes, sensory nerve afferents, and immune cells closely reside in the skin where they interact with one another. However, how these cell-cell interactions maintain tissue homeostasis remains understudied. My research program investigates how specific subsets of neurons that transmit itch communicate with immune cells and keratinocytes to confer protection against skin-invading helminth parasites or during skin inflammatory disorders such as psoriasis. Unexpectedly, our studies have revealed that some species of parasitic helminths modulate the response of itch-inducing neurons, potentially to establish successful infections.

Understanding these cell interactions may inform new therapies to combat helminth infections, skin inflammation, and chronic itch conditions.

What prompted you to apply for the Fellows Program and how do you expect it to help shape your career?

The best conference experiences I have had in my scientific career were with Keystone Symposia. The way these opportunities are designed truly allowed me to expand my professional network, engage in thoughtful discussions, and shape my scientific thinking. In particular, I met my former postdoctoral mentor, De’Broski Herbert, at a Keystone Conference. He encouraged me to apply to the Fellows Program as he knew I was about to start my independent research program.

I was particularly drawn by the spirit of the Fellows program as I want to engage in more leadership roles as I transition into scientific independence.

Being a Keystone Symposia Fellow is already building my leadership skills and helping me become more confident in sharing my views and expertise. As a member of the Keystone Symposia Scientific Advisory Board, my input is always well-received and I feel central in the decision-making process for the future of the organization.

What pivotal moment sticks with you from your experience thus far as a Keystone Symposia Fellow? How has it impacted you?

I recently started my journey to achieve scientific independence and establish my research program. The Keystone Symposia fellows program has been instrumental for me in this process as it has allowed me to engage in extremely useful conversations with fellows who have recently gone through a similar experience and get feedback on how to become successful in these applications. Further, the support of my mentor and other senior investigators that I have interacted with in the program allowed me to envision not only my future line of research but also my professional goals.

What are your thoughts on the importance of mentorship? How has your Keystone mentor influenced you and your career? How do you act as a mentor for your community?

One-on-one mentorship is instrumental for scientific development and has paved my professional career since I was an undergraduate student. My Keystone mentor has been highly supportive and encouraging since we started our online conversations and has fortified my views and plans as I start developing my research program. She has offered suggestions for research directions and opportunities to build my professional network.

Based on these experiences, I aim to become a mentor for future generations of young scientists as well as to advocate for the importance of scientific research in the community.

What is the most valuable thing you've learned from Fellow’s Fridays?

Our first Fellow's Friday session on Grant Strategies was extremely valuable, as securing funding is pivotal when managing an independent research program, especially in these challenging and uncertain times. I very much enjoyed the huge opportunity to learn from Shruti Naik, Amanda Brown, and Lee Niswander about the different funding opportunities apart from the NIH, including private foundations and investors. I also appreciated their tips on understanding the key differences between these funding opportunities and making the best of them when projecting the budget needs of my lab. I look forward to this week’s session on Career Options, as I envision a research program that is closely connected to other career paths (industry, science policy, medical writing).  I am looking forward to future session to develop my leadership skills, mentorship approaches, and other dexterities to become a leader in my field of research as well as in the community.

Watch Dr. Inclan-Rico's research presentation:

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