Matthew P. Hardy Young Andrologist Award

Maria Agustina Battistone, PhD

Dr. Maria Agustina Battistone, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). After obtaining her BS in Biochemistry, she conducted her PhD studies in Dr. Patricia Cuasnicu’s laboratory at the University of Buenos Aires, focused on male reproduction and the molecular mechanisms related to the fertilization process. Motivated by her interest in the urogenital tract and wanting to expand her knowledge in epithelial cell biology, she moved to the USA to carry out postdoctoral training with Dr. Sylvie Breton at the MGH and HMS. She was awarded two Postdoctoral Lalor Fellowships to study molecular mechanisms involved in luminal acidification in the urogenital tract.

During her postdoctoral studies, while examining the role of proton-secreting cells in epithelial dynamics, Dr. Battistone uncovered a completely unexpected role for these cells in immune regulation. She is particularly intrigued by this paradigm-shifting discovery; therefore, in her own laboratory she now focuses on exploring the role of these cells in inflammation, which leads to acute kidney injury and male infertility. In addition, she characterized the heterogeneous populations of macrophages and dendritic cells that are in close interaction with the epithelia in the urogenital tract. Most recently, using an autoimmunity-induced model, she uncovered the role of Regulatory T cells to maintain the tolerogenic state of the epididymis and showed that the loss of sperm tolerance causes severe subfertility.

Dr. Battistone’s laboratory has developed an innovative cross-disciplinary platform using state-of-the-art tools to better understand the underlying mechanisms of urogenital tract diseases, such as acute kidney injury, and male infertility, and to elucidate how a subset of epithelial cells, proton-secreting cells, communicate with immune cells to contribute to the mucosal immunological homeostasis in the epididymis and the kidney. Her studies are well funded and notably, she is currently the PI of an NIH R01grant to study how epididymal epithelial clear cells communicate with immunocytes to contribute to the “immune privileged” environment that is optimal for sperm maturation and storage. She has published over 30 peer-reviewed papers in excellent journals.  

Attesting to the excellence of her research, Dr. Battistone has been an invited speaker at numerous national and international meetings. Her scientific contributions have been recognized by a number of prestigious awards, including the 2019 Thomas S.K. Chang Merit Award of the American Society of Andrology, the 2021 Sanchez and Ferguson Research Faculty Award, and the 2023 MGH Physician/Scientist Development Award, which both distinguish promising research faculty from underrepresented in medicine backgrounds at the MGH, and the 2022 Claflin Distinguished Scholar that recognizes Women in Science at the MGH. In addition, she has been active in the training of postdoctoral fellows, undergraduate students, international Ph.D. students, and pre-medical school students at the MGH.  

Dr. Battistone is a member of a number of professional societies including ASA (since 2017).  Her service to the ASA includes Member of the Editorial Board of Andrology, Chair of the Local Organizing Committee and Member of the Scientific Program Committee for the 2023 ASA Meeting in Boston, and Vice-Chair of the Women in Andrology Committee (Chair in 2024-2025). Dr. Battistone is a regular reviewer of manuscripts and has served as a grant reviewer, including as a member of the NIH Cellular, Molecular and Integrative Reproduction Study Section.

Based on her scientific achievements and significant contributions to the field of Andrology, the ASA is pleased to name Dr. Maria Agustina Battistone as the 2024 Matthew P. Hardy ASA Young Andrologist.