Nitya Jain, Ph.D.


Assistant Investigator
Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center, Mass General Research Institute
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Harvard Medical School

Education

PhD University of Massachusetts Medical School 2009

Research Interests

gut microbiome; healthy immune response; immune cells; immune response; microbiome; rxra; t cells; thymic-intestine crosstalk; thymus; vitamin d

Research Narrative

The Jain Lab is working to understand how the immune system develops and operates in newborns in order to develop new approaches to improving infant health.

Microbiota and Immune System Development

We are interested in determining the impact of postnatal intestinal microbial colonization on developmental events in the distally located thymus. Specifically, we are investigating which developmental pathways are impacted by intestinal microbiota and what are the mechanisms of thymic-intestine crosstalk.

Vitamin D and Early-Life Immunity

Vitamin D regulates several aspects of immune function as well as the intestinal microbial composition. We are interested in understanding the link between Vitamin D, the postnatal microbiota and early immune development. We are particularly interested in the role of the nuclear receptor RXRA in regulating the Vitamin D response in developing immune cells.

Research website Publications
njain@ccib.mgh.harvard.edu
6177264171
Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center
CNY-Building #114
114 16th Street
Charlestown, MA 02129-2000