Research

Our Research

Innate Immune responses underlie a key component of the inflammatory response, especially in barrier tissues such as the skin. Dysregulation of these responses underlie important inflammatory skin diseases such as Psoriasis, which affect 3% of the population. Importantly, innate immune dysregulation in skin may not be limited to this tissue and may drive inflammation and damage in other organs such as joints. This may underlie the poorly-understood connection between Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis. 

Our laboratory has developed several novel mouse models of innate immune dysregulation in skin. These models allow for precisely-controlled activation of innate immune signaling in keratinocytes. We use these models to discover how innate immune responses are activated and amplified through the cellular compartments of the skin, and equally importantly, are controlled to prevent pathogenic inflammation of skin and other organs. We approach these questions from both the perspective of cellular signaling and tissue immunology.