GIMM Innate Immune Cell Biology Laboratory
The machines of the innate immune system.
Proteins in our immune cells rarely work alone. They assemble into machines that detect threats, compute the right response and execute defense. We study how these machines work in innate immune cells, the body’s first responders, and engineer them to build new therapies against infection, inflammatory disease and cancer.
01 What we study
Activated TLRs seed myddosomes, signaling organelles built around the adapter MyD88, that detach from the receptor and mature in the cytosol. Their composition, dynamics and lifetime encode the TLR response. We define what controls their release and how it sets the duration and quality of inflammation, and we rebuild myddosomes under synthetic control.
TLRs and myddosomes →Guanylate-binding proteins act as sensors and effectors of cell-intrinsic immunity. GBPs target and disrupt cytosolic bacteria and parasite vacuoles and license programmed cell death. GBPs are controlled by phosphorylation which holds them inactive to prevent self-damage. We define these control mechanisms and engineer GBP1 into targeted antimicrobial and anti-tumor agents.
GBPs and cell-autonomous defense →02 Recent papers
● Recruiting
We are recruiting PhD students, postdocs and Master's students to build the group from the start. Funded positions are available, and we support fellowship applications at every level.
03 The lab
