Investigator, Other (M) Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center, Mass General Research Institute

Associate Professor of Pediatrics Harvard Medical School

host-pathogen interactions; immunity innate; intestinal immunity; intestinal inflammation; intestinal mucosa; iron metabolism; macrophages; nutrition; salmonella infections; salmonella typhi; salmonella typhimurium; typhoid fever

The broad goal of research in my laboratory is to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the immune response to intestinal bacterial pathogens. We use cell culture and mouse infection experiments to interrogate the responses of intestinal epithelial cells and macrophages to Salmonella Typhimurium, an important cause of acute gastroenteritis in humans and also representative of the agent of human typhoid fever. We are particularly interested in the interactions between these responses and the metabolism of nutrients such as iron. Our studies (i) shed light on basic immunological mechanisms operating in the gastrointestinal tract, (ii) provide insights into the pathogenesis of intestinal infections that are of public health significance, particularly in the developing world, (iii) inform strategies to develop vaccines against the pathogens that cause these infections, and (iv) clarify how iron status can affect the course of infection and how infection and inflammation can influence iron metabolism.