A fundamental feature of the immune system is the ability to maintain immune homeostasis. Loss of tolerance to self or innocuous foreign antigens can result in autoimmune diseases or transplant rejection, respectively. On the other hand, inappropriate tolerance to antigens such as those present in tumor cells or viruses, can result in loss of tumor immunity or an inability to resolve infectious diseases. Immune responses are tightly regulated at the molecular level, through cellular interactions, and by the microenvironment. Identifying these mechanisms offers the potential to develop more precise immunotherapies for a wide range of dysregulated immune responses.

Our lab studies human immunology, immune regulation mechanisms and lymphocyte biology, with a particular focus on innate lymphoid cells and tissue-resident immune cells. We harness cutting-edge technological platforms to define immune cell states in healthy individuals and in the context of transplantation, autoimmunity and cancer. We are particularly focused on populations of T cells and innate lymphoid cells within tissues, and how to harness their protective functions in cell-based therapies. The ultimate goal being to engineer tissue-specific immune tolerance and develop approaches to enhance current immunotherapies.