Carla Rothlin, PhD

I co-lead our group with Sourav Ghosh, Associate Professor of Neurology and Pharmacology. We have a long-term interest in how the immune response is calibrated to avoid chronic inflammation, autoimmunity and self-harm. We study mechanisms that set or limit the magnitude of the immune response. We also study mechanisms that signal the temporal shift from a pathogen-defense mode following successful immune defense to resolution and wound repair. One of the current interests in the lab is cell death and its clearance, and how this can function as a signal for specific effector responses during morphogenesis, homeostatic tissue renewal, or resolution and wound repair after damage. We hypothesize that the integration of cell death recognition, environmental signals (including tissue-specific signals) and the identity of the efferocyte (the cell that recognizes dead cells) determines the specificity for removal of dead/damaged cells, renewal of lost cells, or repair and regeneration. We use a variety of approaches including molecular, cell biology, immunology, imaging and genetics and mouse models of development/tissue homeostasis/injury or diseases to address fundamental biological mechanisms.

Current projects:

• Macrophage-stromal interactions during tissue homeostasis and wound repair
• Crosstalk between stromal and immune cells, in the context of cell turnover or injury, during the formation and function of the nervous system
• Innate immune checkpoints and anti-tumor immunity

Immunobiology; Immune Homeostasis; TAM Receptor Tyrosine Kinases