Research

A fundamental question in immunology is how the organism senses and responds to disturbances of homeostasis as diverse as infections, physical damage, tissue injury or metabolic perturbations to activate inflammation, clear the inciting stimulus and promote repair. Emerging evidence now indicates that innate immunity, the non-specific host defense arm of the body, constitutes the central biological system responsible for dealing with endogenous and exogenous insults, mediating tissue restitution and preserving normality. Our goal is to understand how innate immunity fine tunes this process for optimal host protection and minimal damage. This is placed in the context of health and disease with emphasis given to respiratory and cardiovascular disorders, and infections.

Specific lines of research include:

1. The unwinding of the biology of lambda Interferons (IFNs, type III IFNs or interleukins-28/29) in health and disease.
2. The high dimensional phenotyping of macrophage/dendritic cell heterogeneity and function in immunity.
3. The study of mechanisms driving symptomatic atherosclerotic plaque development and cardiovascular disease.