The Center for Microbiology and Immunology (CMI) at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine is dedicated to understanding the complex interactions between the immune system and microbes, focusing on infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and neurodegenerative conditions.
We specialize in host-pathogen interactions, microbiome studies, bacterial amyloid biology and biofilm spatial organization. Using both in vitro and in vivo models, we study the molecular mechanisms that drive host-microbe interactions, immune responses and disease progression.
Dr. Çagla Tükel specializes in curli, a bacterial amyloid produced by e. coli and salmonella within biofilms. Her team explores curli’s impact on the immune system, its role in bacterial pathogenesis and its contribution to autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases.
Dr. Vincent Tam takes a system-level approach to immunology, using high-throughput techniques to analyze genomic, transcriptional, proteomic and lipidomic data. Additionally, Dr. Tam leads our Organ-On-a-Chip program, helping to identify immune mechanisms that play critical roles in disease progression and therapeutic interventions.
The Microbiome and Human Disease Initiative, launched in 2019, provides resources and expertise to advance research on the microbiome’s role in health and disease. Our teams support novel and ongoing projects at Katz, helping researchers navigate this rapidly evolving field. The program fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, leveraging CMI researchers’ expertise to explore the microbiome’s impact on cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colorectal cancer, aging and neurological disorders.
Exploring molecular and cellular immune mechanisms
A new key focus is exploring how molecular and cellular immune mechanisms drive inflammation across the gut-brain and lung-brain axes.
By shedding light on the complex interactions between immune responses in these regions, we are discovering their implications for a range of conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases and pulmonary disorders.
Understanding how inflammation in the gut and lungs influences brain health could lead to new therapeutic strategies for diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and chronic respiratory conditions.
This expanding field promises to bridge critical gaps in our knowledge of systemic inflammation and its far-reaching effects on the brain, ultimately contributing to more targeted and effective treatments for these challenging diseases.