The gut microbiota is a collection of microbes,including bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses, and protozoa, which inhabit our intestines. It is becoming apparent that the interactions between these microorganisms and human cells are central to maintain health, and become dysregulated in disease.

Despite this, one major question remains unanswered: how does the gut microbiota influence immune function in distal body organs, such as the lungs?

In this project, we are trying to understand this means of communication between the gut and the lungs and identify compounds that can be harnesses therapeutically to ameliorate detrimental immune response in the airways.