Research Interests

My lab is working to understand the neonatal immune response to respiratory viral infection. Infants are especially vulnerable to viral infections. This is due, in part, to an immature immune system.  We use a mouse model of viral infection to elucidate the cellular and molecular differences between the neonatal and adult immune response to viral infection. We are also interested in how immune factors in maternal milk may modulate the neonatal immune response.

Photo on right shows cultured airway epithelial cells infected with a paramyxovirus. Virally infected cells are red, ciliated cells are green, and nuclei are fluorescently labeled blue.