Dr. Mitch in the Laboratory
The primary
focuses of my lab are...
(I)
... on the mechanisms
that lead to the development of allergic disease. In
particular, we believe that allergic disease is a result of normal response to
viral infections. Our hope is to
identify new avenues for therapeutic intervention based on these studies.
(II)
... on how dendritic
cells
modulate an immune response to viral airway inflammation. Some individuals when they get a viral
infection of their lungs (such as with respiratory syncytial virus) go on to
develop asthma. I hope to be able
to modulate immune responses so that these viral illness can be prevented from
leading to asthma.
What
are dendritic cells? Well, in a nut-shell these are AWESOME cells that eat up foreign (and not so foreign) stuff, digest
it, and then, like a 5 year old child, run around and show off their digested
stuff to other cells (T cells, in particular) of the immune response. Yum, yum!!!
Another interest
in the lab...
...involves
the cells of the immune system and how they travel through the body.
Did
you ever wonder how the white blood cells know when, where, and how to get out
of the blood stream and into sites of infection?
Well,
this is what I am studying--the why and how white blood cells leave the blood
stream and enter peripheral tissues at sites of inflammation.
Specifically,
I am studying a class of adhesion molecules, called integrins, and their role
in allergic inflammation.
Learn about adhesion molecules in Dr.
Mitch's classroom!
Have questions? Send me email!
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(c)1999-2012, Mitchell H.
Grayson. All rights reserved.
Last
update: January 20, 2012.