RESEARCH

Our current areas of interest include:

Mucosal Immunology. Barrier tissues, like the gut, are continually exposed to vast numbers of microbes, food, and other xenobiotics that can stimulate the immune system. Thus, mucosal surfaces must carefully balance immune tolerance and protection. We are interested in how innate and adaptive immune cells interact with the gut microbiota and other intestinal cell types. In particular, we study type 2 immunity, which is typically associated with anti-parasite immunity, allergy, and asthma. Our lab investigates several aspects of type 2 immunity, including early events in this immune response, antigen sampling in mucosal lymphoid tissues, and antigen-specific immune responses in the gut. We hope to use these findings to understand diseases like IBD and food allergies and improve oral vaccine durability. 

Gut Microbiota. This community of microbes is integral to host physiology and is involved in many diseases. These microbes form a complex ecosystem of inter-microbial and host interactions. Bacteria are the quintessential microbes in the microbiome, but we found numerous species of single-celled eukaryotes called protists that are quite common in the mammalian gut, including in humans. These protists are not overtly pathogenic, but they strongly influence the host’s immune system. As a result, these protists act as a lever to alter the outcome of several diseases. We are broadly interested in understanding the diverse biology of symbiotic protists, elucidating their interactions with other microbes, and deciphering the molecular signals that influence host immunity.

Tuft cells and the Intestinal Epithelium. The first line of contact between the intestine and the outside world is a single layer of epithelial cells. Several cell types with unique and important functions form the intestinal epithelium. Our lab studies multiple epithelial cell types, but we are particularly focused on tuft cells. We and others discovered that tuft cells respond to intestinal microbes, including parasites, to initiate a type 2 immune response. Surprisingly, tuft cells sense microbes using the same chemosensory pathway found in oral taste cells. Currently, we are identifying new receptors and sensory mechanisms in tuft cells and applying these findings to understand how tuft cells regulate epithelial secretion and barrier function in the gut. We aim to translate this research to learn how tuft cells influence susceptibility to diseases, including IBD and allergy.