Learn about our research
We study how environmental factors regulate microbial-derived signals at key biological barriers, including the intestinal and blood–brain barriers, and how this regulation shapes communication with the nervous system. By focusing on metabolic and immune mechanisms that control barrier function, we examine how microbial signals reach the brain and influence brain health across the lifespan.
We investigate how infections interact with the gut microbiome to shape neurodevelopment and long-term neuropsychiatric risk. Our current funding focuses on Toxoplasma gondii infection and schizophrenia. Our long-term vision is to expand this work to other infectious and environmental perturbations that contribute to disease burden, with relevance for public health and the development of preventive and microbiome-informed therapeutic strategies.