Research/Areas of Interest:
Once thought to be entirely derived from bone-marrow monocytes, embryonically-seeded tissue-resident macrophages are a self-sustaining population of cells with specialized functions in tissue development, response to insult, and maintenance of homeostasis. However, many age-related diseases are associated with a shift in the tissue macrophage pool toward bone marrow-derived macrophages, which cannot fully replicate the specialized role of tissue-resident macrophages and contribute to chronic inflammation. My project seeks to understand the underlying mechanisms of tissue-resident macrophage maintenance and how it is dysregulated with age.
Education
BS, Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA