Hosted by the School of Medicine at Cardiff University
Register on Eventbrite
The sensory nervous system densely innervates and closely interacts with resident cells in barrier sites such as the skin and gut. Nociceptors are the specific sensory neurons that detect noxious/harmful stimuli and mediate the unpleasant sensation of pain and itch. In our work, we find that nociceptors can directly sense bacterial pathogens. These neurons in turn signal to immune cells to regulate tissue inflammation and host defense. Determining mechanisms of neuron-microbe-immune communication can lead to better treatments for pain, itch, and infectious diseases.
Isaac Chiu is Associate Professor in the Department of Immunology at Harvard Medical School. His lab studies neuro-immune interactions at barrier surfaces in pain, host defense, and inflammation. Dr. Chiu has found that sensory neurons directly detect bacterial pathogens and their mediators to produce pain. His lab has found that peripheral neurons signal to immune and epithelial cells in the skin, lungs, meninges, and gut to mediate tissue immunity. Defining neuron-immune-microbe crosstalk could lead to new treatments for pain, itch, and inflammation.
Dr. Chiu received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College in Biochemistry, and his PhD in Immunology Harvard Medical School. He then received postdoctoral training in the neurobiology of pain at Boston Children’s Hospital. He started his independent faculty position at Harvard medical school in 2014. Dr. Chiu has received the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, Burroughs Wellcome Fund Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease Award, and Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative Ben Barres Early Career Acceleration Award.