Investigator, Asst Prof (M) Molecular Pathology Unit, Mass General Research Institute

Assistant Professor of Pathology Harvard Medical School

PhD University of California, San Francisco 2013

AB Dartmouth College 2007

bacteria; cancer immunotherapy; checkpoint inhibitors; diet; gut microbiome; gut microbiota; immune system

Gut microbiota – the trillions of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and archaea that reside in our gut – contain a dynamic arsenal of products that can protect from or contribute to disease. Diet, medication, exercise, and disease impact the composition of the microbiota and influence the products the microbes produce. In turn, specific microbes influence immune cell function in both normal and disease states.

The Gazzaniga Lab focuses on unraveling this complex ecosystem that holds huge therapeutic potential, revealing the dynamic interplay of environmental factors, microbes, microbial products, and immune cells. Specifically, we focus on three main questions: (1) How do gut bacterial surface molecules and metabolites influence immune function? (2) How do microbe-mediated immune responses impact the anti-tumor response to immunotherapy? (3) How can we make mouse cancer models more clinically relevant?

Our ultimate goal is to uncover mechanistic information to develop microbe-based therapies that fine tune the immune system to fight cancer.