Key Research Interests
Much of the work undertaken in the Carding research group based at IFR focuses on understanding the mechanisms of intestinal microbial tolerance and the role that microbe-host cross talk plays in establishing and maintaining gut health and in gut disease. Current research interests are, defining the link between the mucosal immune system, dendritic cells (DC) and lipid metabolism using a novel experimental model of obesity, the role autophagy plays in intestinal epithelial cell homeostasis, barrier function and mucosal immune responses to commensal and pathogenic microbes, the nature of mucosal immune cell (iIEL)-microbiota interactions in establishing and maintaining a healthy intestinal microbiome while mounting immediate response to food-borne pathogens, regulation of epithelial tight junctions and the maintenance of intestinal barrier function, interkingdom macromolecule exchange in microbe-host crosstalk and the establishment of mutualism in the GI-tract, development of novel strategies to treat and prevent chronic intestinal inflammation and IBD using SMART bacteria and novel foods, immune tolerance and implant rejection and, immunosenescence and diet.