You can find a brief description of each member's research interests
by searching for their name, topic, or keyword.

The research in my lab is focusing on the fundamentals of innate immunity, e.g., host-pathogen interaction. In particular, we study the TLR and the non-TLR activation pathways by which the host recognizes and responds to any microbial agent. We explore the consequences of this activation on antigen presentation by dendritic cells and its impact on priming of naïve CD4 and CD8 T cells as well as the generation of memory T cell responses. This approach to basic science helps us to develop vaccines against various infectious agents (e.g., HIV), tumors and allergic diseases (i.e., asthma). Some of the therapeutic approaches developed in our lab are currently evaluated in phase II/III clinical trials. Similarly, we explore the role of innate immunity in the inhibition of certain inflammatory conditions. In particular, we study the principles of host-commensal interaction in the G-I tract and explore how this interaction affects various inflammatory intestinal conditions and their human analogs such as inflammatory bowel disease.

Track(s):
Microbiology/Immunology