At the Brown Lab we’re studying how signals from the tissue environment shape the fate and function of immune cells and the mechanisms by which they reciprocally regulate tissue homeostasis and host immunity.
At the heart of an immune response are antigen-presenting cells, sentinels of the immune system that are uniquely poised to regulate the balance between effector immune responses and immune tolerance.
Our studies have identified novel antigen-presenting cell lineages and highlighted their diversity across tissues, development, health, and disease.
In the study of antigen-presenting cells and their cross talk with immune and stromal cells, the scope of our research extends across three distinct yet complementary areas
Early Life Immunity
Dramatic changes in the microbiota and diet during early life pose a challenge to the developing immune system. We have identified a wave of intestinal immune cells that play a critical role in establishing immune tolerance to commensal microbes during early life.
Tissue Regeneration
We have uncovered dendritic cell lineages with complementary roles in tissue repair, tolerance and inflammation. Using novel genetic models to temporally perturb dendritic cell lineages our research addresses the cellular circuitry between dendritic cells, immune and stromal cells.
CANCER IMMUNOLOGY
Through our partnership with Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital and the Tow Center for Developmental Oncology, MSKCC, we conduct translational studies in both pediatric and adult human cancer. Our goal is to identify cellular and molecular markers that predict response to therapy and identify novel therapeutic targets.
A signature of our research is a two-way transition between human immunology studies and mechanistic studies in experimental models
In our work the input is ideas and cells from human immunology; the output is insights into mechanisms of immune regulation, in health and disease.
This reverse translation, from clinic to mechanism, is achieved through sophisticated human immune profiling, genetically engineered mouse models and computational modeling.