The Laboratory of Molecular Immunology (LMI) conducts basic, translational, and clinical studies related to innate and adaptive immune system function in health and disease. LMI scientists have made major contributions to our understanding of immunoregulation by chemokines and their G protein-coupled receptors, HIV pathogenesis, the NFkB family of transcription factors, mucosal immunology in the gut, reovirus and rotavirus infection in the gut, and mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease. They explore the basic properties of neutrophils, macrophages, naïve and memory T cells, and dendritic cells, as well as genetic risk factors for complex immune-mediated diseases.
In LMI, current studies focus on the molecular pathogenesis of infectious and immunologic/inflammatory diseases, including West Nile virus infection, Listeria infection, Trypanosoma cruzi, Toxoplasma gondii, fungal infection, sepsis, atherosclerosis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, primary immunodeficiency disease, and cancer, working toward the goal of identifying novel therapeutic targets and strategies.
Major Areas of Research
- Structure and function of the mucosal immune system in the gastrointestinal system
- Basic properties of neutrophils, naïve and memory T cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells
- Genetic and epigenetic regulation of chemokine receptor expression
- Chemokines as mediators in antimicrobial host defense, inflammation, and cancer
- Primary immunodeficiency disease
People
The Laboratory of Molecular Immunology includes the following principal investigators, staff scientists, and/or staff clinicians:
- Joshua Farber, M.D.
- Ji-Liang Gao, Ph.D.
- Brian Kelsall, M.D.
- David H. McDermott, M.D.
- Philip M. Murphy, M.D.
- Sergio M. Pontejo, Ph.D.