Our Research

Immune-Metabolic Crosstalk 

The interconnectedness of immunity and metabolism is 2-pronged:

  1. Metabolism regulates the activity and functional fate of immune cells
  2. Immune cells regulate tissue inflammation and systemic metabolic control

We investigate both of these aspects by studying how metabolic programs in immune cells regulate their inflammatory potential, and how manipulating systemic metabolism influences immune cell function. We seek to understand the roles of these programs in maintaining tissue homeostasis, in response to metabolic challenges, and in protective antimicrobial immunity.

Tissue-Resident Immunity 

Tissue-resident immune cells have essential roles in maintaining tissue function and homeostasis. Despite decades of research addressing the decline in protective peripheral immunity during aging, little is known how tissue-resident immune compartments are regulated during aging. We are exploring the age- and sex-dependent regulation of tissue-resident immune cells in metabolic tissues.