Regulation of immune cell homeostasis and functionality is central to the proper functioning of the immune system. The functionality of immune cells and immune responses are tightly regulated and fine-tuned by signals delivered through various immune receptors. Dysregulation of immune cells or immune receptor signaling contributes to the pathogenesis of almost all human diseases, including autoimmune diseases, inflammation, infection, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancers. Specifically, we are investigating the following questions:
- How are the survival, proliferation, and activation of different immune cell subsets regulated by signaling through various immune receptors during homeostasis and immune responses?
- How does dysregulation of different immune cell subsets and immune responses contribute to the pathogenesis of various human diseases?
- How does commensal microbiota interact with different immune cell subsets during immune responses and disease states?
To address these questions, we generate animal models to mimic human genetic alterations of immune receptor signaling components and use them to understand genetically predisposed mechanisms of diseases and possible interventions, which are further verified using complementary human model systems and patient samples. We employ comprehensive approaches and state-of-the-art technologies, ranging from whole animal experimentation, tissue histopathology, molecular biology, and biochemistry approaches to various genome wide-analyses such as single cell RNA-seq, spatial omics, and bioinformatics. Knowledge gathered from our research programs will have fundamental impacts on our understanding of immune regulation and cancer pathogenesis. Furthermore, our research efforts will contribute to the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for better management of a variety of human diseases, including cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and chronic inflammatory diseases.