Mucosal Immunology & Biology Research Center

Research Projects

Gut mucosal immunology and biology

The intestine represents one of the body’s most complex immunological environments, continuously exposed to both beneficial and harmful microbes. Effective protection depends on a finely tuned balance between immune and non-immune mechanisms. Our work focuses on how epithelial cells coordinate with immune cells such as neutrophils and macrophages through cytokine-mediated communication to preserve barrier function and respond appropriately to microbial challenges.

A key area of investigation at MIBRC is microbial “crosstalk”—the bidirectional communication between intestinal microbes and host cells—as well as the interactions between the lymphoid, nervous, and epithelial systems. We are particularly interested in how disruptions in these interactions or inappropriate developmental responses contribute to disease.
In addition to its defensive role, the enterocyte also mediates beneficial processes, including the protective effects of probiotics in intestinal inflammation. Our researchers are exploring how these mechanisms can be harnessed to promote gut health.

By examining how enteric pathogens and their toxins exploit the intestinal environment, MIBRC aims to uncover the underlying mechanisms of infectious and inflammatory diseases. Through this work, we seek to identify novel therapeutic targets and develop innovative strategies for the prevention and treatment of intestinal disorders, such as celiac disease, ultimately improving patient outcomes and advancing the field of mucosal immunology.

Lung mucosal immunology and biology

The MIBRC has several investigators that model the airway mucosa to understand cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive lung disease. These models are used to explore airway surface development, diseases of genetic origin affecting airway function, and pathogens that compromise airways.  Pathogens that infect airway mucosa often trigger inflammatory responses that result in immune cell mobilization and infiltration.  These immune processes are frequently intensified in patients with inherited genetic mutations known to impair airway surface defense capabilities.

Gut-brain axis

MIBRC investigators study bidirectional communication between the gut and brain across the lifespan, with emphasis on how early-life immune and microbial exposures shape neurodevelopment. Research focuses on intestinal barrier integrity, immune signaling, and the microbiome as modulators of brain function and behavior. Particular attention is paid to sex differences and perinatal windows of vulnerability, with the goal of identifying gut-derived mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative conditions and how to translate these findings into therapeutic strategies.

Computational & system biology

MIBRC investigators use computational, systems biology, and AI approaches to understand how the microbiome influences host metabolic and immune responses in health and disease and to inform therapeutic interventions. These efforts include mechanistic models of biological networks, especially metabolism (“digital metabolic twins”), to study host-microbiome metabolic crosstalk and its effects on immune responses and gut mucosal function. Statistical methods, machine learning (ML), and generative AI are also used to analyze multi-omics data, define host-microbiome interactions, and build predictive models of disease mechanisms and clinical outcomes. These computational approaches are combined with experimental systems, such as gut organoids, to guide experiments and validate hypotheses generated in silico.

Education

The Mass General Brigham for Children Digestive Disease Summer Research Program provides short-term support for students at the undergraduate or medical school level to perform an independent 10-week research project on digestive diseases. Click here for more information and instructions on how to apply

Research Team

Alessio Fasano, MD
Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center
Celiac disease

Bryan Hurley, PhD
Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center (MIBRC)
Infection and inflammation at mucosal barriers

Verena Göbel, MD
Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center
Gut epithelial polarity and tubulogenesis

Hongmei Mou, PhD
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center
Genetic diseases affecting airway mucosa and airway epithelial responses to infection and inflammation

Chienwen Su PhD
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center
Helminth infections and metabolic disease

Wayne Shreffler, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Center for Immunology & Inflammatory Diseases (CIID)
Food allergies

Jason Harris, MD, MPH
Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Pediatric Global Health
Immune responses to Vibrio cholerae

Allan M. Goldstein, MD, MS
Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Pediatric Surgery
Enteric nervous system

Marcy Kingsbury, PhD
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Lurie Center for Autism
Neuroimmune and gut-brain interactions during development

Paul Lerou, MD
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Newborn Medicine
Stem cells/prematurity and child development

Xingbin Ai, PhD
Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Newborn Medicine
Neural regulation of airway physiology and disease

Elsie Taveras, MD, MPH
Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children General Pediatrics
Childhood obesity

James Moon, PhD
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Center for Immunology & Inflammatory Diseases
Regulatory role of T cells in the immune system

Daniel Irimia, MD, PhD
Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General BioMEMS Resource Center
Bioengineering: microfluidic devices

Brian Seed, PhD
Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Center for Computational and Integrative Biology
Computational science: genetics

Nitya Jain, PhD
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Center for Computational and Integrative Biology
Immune system development in the newborn

Guillermo Tearney, MD, PhD
Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Wellman Center for Photomedicine
Bioengineering, bioimaging

Maureen Leonard, MD
Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center
Celiac Disease

Ali R. Zomorrodi, PhD
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center
Host-microbiome interactions, metabolism, nutrition, computational modeling, ML/AI, gut organoids, LLMs in healthcare

Enid Martinez, MD
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center
Gastrointestinal dysfunction, both epithelial barrier disruption & gastrointestinal dysmotility

Michiko Oyoshi, PhD
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center
Immunomodulatory effects of breast milk on food allergy

Evan Bordt, PhD
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Lurie Center for Autism
Influence on neurodevelopment of sex differences in perinatal life

Sarita Patil, MD
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Center for Immunology & Inflammatory Diseases (CIID)
Allergen-specific antibodies in allergic diseases

Bryan Lenneman, PhD
Instructor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center
Engineering bacteriophages to treat human disease

Angélica Torres-Berrío, PhD
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Lurie Center for Autism
Mass General Brigham for Children Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center
Epigenetic scars of lifelong susceptibility to stress

Rachel Whooten, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children General Pediatrics
A life course approach to health promotion for chronic disease prevention

Lauren Fiechtner, MD
Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children / Pediatric GI & Nutrition
Healthy weight and nutrition equity implementation science

Victoria Martin, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children / Pediatric GI & Nutrition
Mucosal food allergic diseases

Takara Stanley, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children / Pediatric Endocrinology
Pediatric obesity, type 2 diabetes, and steatotic liver disease

Angela Schmider, PhD
Instructor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Mass General / Nephrology / NCEMIC
Single molecule microscopy and molecular organization in immune cells

Recently Retired Faculty

Fred Ausubel, PhD
Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Center for Computational and Integrative Biology
Computational science: genetics

Bobby Cherayil, MD
Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center
Iron homeostasis and enteric infections

W. Allan Walker, MDProfessor, Harvard Medical School
Mass General Brigham for Children Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center
Gut mucosal immunity during development