The immune system provides us with many layers of defense against infection by bacteria, viruses, and other microbes. These range from highly specialized ‘adaptive’ immune responses, which include antibodies to killer T cells that recognize specific microbial components through ‘innate’ immune mechanisms that are designed to react to macromolecules shared by many microbes, to barrier mechanisms, which physically prevent infection in the skin, lung, gut, and other mucosal surfaces.
The Lacy-Hulbert lab works to understand how these different aspects of the immune system cooperate to identify and combat potentially infectious organisms while preventing immune attack against innocuous microbes or the body’s own self.
Work in the laboratory has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, Wellcome Trust, Lupus Research Alliance, Heidner Foundatrion and the Seattle Foundation.
Adam Lacy-Hulbert, PhD
Lab Members
Kayla Fasano
Alina Lorant
Caroline Stefani, PhD
Lauren Vandepas
Anna Yoshida
Research Projects
Forward Genetics To Identify New Mechanisms In Immunity And Host Defense
Regulation Of Immune Responses
Distinguishing Pathogens from Self
SARS-CoV2 And COVID-19
Featured Publications
MicroMagnify: A Multiplexed Expansion Microscopy Method for Pathogens and Infected Tissues.
Adv Sci (Weinh)
Rhinovirus infection of the airway epithelium enhances mast cell immune responses via epithelial-derived interferons.
J Allergy Clin Immunol
Severe acute pancreatitis exhibits distinct cytokine signatures and trajectories in humans: a prospective observational study.
Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol
Transcriptomic analysis of pathways associated with ITGAV/alpha(v) integrin-dependent autophagy in human B cells.
Autophagy
Identification of mast cell progenitor cells in the airways of individuals with allergic asthma.
Allergy
Using AI and VR to Advance Research
Caroline Stefani, PhD, became fascinated with the immune system while pursuing her doctorate in microbiology. She loved using imaging tools to examine the worlds of cells and bacteria. But one thing frustrated her.
What does it mean for COVID-19 to be endemic?
As the next chapter of COVID-19 unfolds, we’re hearing that the virus will likely become endemic (in the northern hemisphere) — and it will be part of life for the foreseeable future.
Inside BRI’s Gut Immunity Program
To most people, the gut is just a part of your body that helps digest food.
Benaroya Research Institute Receives $9 Million in Funding, With a Focus on Down Syndrome Research
Read More
