Inflammation, Autoimmunity and Immune Intervention

Inflammatory and autoimmune diseases represent a major and expanding public health burden with more than 20 million people worldwide affected by conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and systemic lupus erythematosus alone, underscoring the urgent need for deeper mechanistic insight and more effective precision therapies. This research cluster aims to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern inflammation and autoimmunity across tissues and organs.

We seek to define how immune cell interactions, metabolic cues, and tissue-derived signals shape immune responses in health and disease by integrating human samples and preclinical models using a variety of innovative reporter and transgenic mice and cutting-edge technologies, including single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, and multidimensional flow cytometry.

The program will also explore emerging roles of the immune system in regulating metabolism and neurobiological processes. Ultimately, these efforts will enable the identification of novel biomarkers and the development of targeted immunotherapies for chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disorders aiming to improve diagnostics, prevention, and treatment for chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, which are relevant to health and productive sectors.