Lung Immunology, respiratory viral and bacterial co-pathogenesis

The research in my lab focuses on understanding the immune defense against respiratory infectious diseases. The pathogens that we study are influenza virus, and bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. Recently we have started a new project on COVID-19. Immune activation is critical for lung clearance of these pathogens. On the other hand, excessive host responses can cause inflammatory lung damage and severe pneumonia. Our goals are to distinguish the protective immune mechanisms from detrimental inflammation, and to provide proof of concept evidence for designing preventive and therapeutic strategies for these human diseases.