The main research interests of our laboratory are the host defense and innate immune responses of mucosal tissues such as the lung, skin, and intestine. We are trying to understand 1) how innate immune circuits detect and respond to allergen/pathogen challenges in mucosal tissues, and 2) how the innate immune system contributes to tissue homeostasis or harmful inflammatory responses in the various organs.
In particular, we are studying with great interest innate lymphocyte cells (ILCs), which are a group of lymphocytes that lack specific antigen receptors but can rapidly respond to external stimuli. We investigate the role of ILCs in animal models of various diseases such as asthma, atopic dermatitis, colitis, and lupus nephritis. We also try to translate the data in human disease and discover the potential roles of ILCs as biomarkers in the diagnosis and/or future therapeutic targets.