Studies of host-pathogen interactions have significantly contributed
to our understanding of the mechanisms of both cellular and
innate immunity. The innate immune response is the first-line
defense to bacterial infection, and my research is mainly concerned
with using DNA microarrays to comprehensively characterize the
transcriptional component of the host response in the context
of well-studied models for host-pathogen interaction. I have
a special interest in intracellular pathogens, and both Listeria
monocytogenes (in a collaboration with the Portnoy lab at U.C.
Berkeley, using a mouse model) and Legionella pneumophila (in
collaboration with the Falkow lab at Stanford, using a human
model) are being exploited as model pathogens. Other interests
include septic shock, and the role of the Toll-like receptor
family in mammalian innate immunity.
