
Overview
My laboratory is focused on understanding T cell immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other infections, as well as self-antigens in the context of neurodegenerative diseases.
Specifically, the identification of T cell epitopes and characterization of T cell subsets resulting from the immune response to tuberculosis. Our work has illustrated that the T cell immune response is broader than previously understood. This led to the development of a peptide megapool (MTB300) that can be used to characterize TB-specific T cell immune responses, which has been used by multiple collaborators to characterize TB-specific or vaccine-induced responses.
We are also interested in defining the role of non-tuberculous mycobacteria in the immune response against TB and vaccinations.
Finally, we study T cell responses directed against self-proteins with implications for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and ALS. This work has identified α-synuclein as a target for T cell immune responses in Parkinson’s disease (PD) which provided evidence that autoimmunity plays a role in PD.
Our goal is to understand these immune responses better to help develop better diagnostics and more effective therapies.
Featured publications
Classical CD4 T cells as the cornerstone of antimycobacterial immunity.
CD4+CCR6+ T cells dominate the BCG-induced transcriptional signature.
Lab Members
Research Projects
Neurodegenerative Diseases
The aim of this work funded by Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP), in collaboration with Dr. Alessandro Sette, is to
Tuberculosis
The aim of this work, in collaboration with Dr. Bjoern Peters, is to identify and characterize T cell epitopes from
From the lab

Scientists uncover new targets for treating Parkinson’s disease
LA JOLLA, CA—Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have found that people with Parkinson’s disease have a clear

Once upon a BCG vaccine
LA JOLLA—A long, long time ago, the BCG vaccine was approved for use against tuberculosis (TB), and it’s still

New look at COVID-19 cases does not support link between BCG vaccination and lower mortality
Researchers tracking COVID-19 mortality early in the pandemic noticed that some countries had a significantly lower mortality rate than others.
Awards & Honors
- 2020 Tullie and Rickey Families SPARK Awards Winner
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Collaboration for TB Vaccine Discovery – Early Career Scientist Award Fall 2016