Sensory neuron regulation of innate immunity and barrier host defenses

Isaac Chiu, Ph.D.

Department of Immunology

Harvard Medical School

Biography

Isaac Chiu is Assistant Professor in the Department of Immunology at Harvard Medical School. He receivedhis undergraduate training in Biochemistry at Harvard College and PhD in Immunology at Harvard MedicalSchool. He then trained in the neurobiology of pain as a postdoctoral fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital. Hestarted his lab at Harvard medical school in 2014.

His research focuses on interactions between the nervous system, immune system, and microbes in pain,host defense and inflammation. He has found that nociceptor neurons directly sense bacteria and immunemediators to produce pain. These neurons signal to the immune system to mediate immunity in the skin, gut,and lungs. Recent work has shown that immune modulators also regulate itch during allergic inflammation.Defining neuroimmune crosstalk could lead to novel treatments for allergic diseases, infection, and pain. Dr.Chiu has received the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative Ben Barres Award,and Burroughs Wellcome Fund Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease Award.

Time: 9:00-10:30a.m., May 21th (Friday) 

Zoom Meeting ID: 872 3139 6477 

Host: Dr. Wenwen Zeng