Isaac Chiu
Associate Professor of Immunology
Department of Immunology
Harvard Medical School

The mammalian sensory nervous system densely innervates barrier tissues including the skin and gut that are exposed to microbes. Nociceptors are specialized neurons that mediate pain and itch. These unpleasant sensations are critical to protect organisms from danger. We find that nociceptors actively participate in host defense by detecting bacterial pathogens and signaling to the immune system. We will explore how bacteria interact with neurons to drive pain and itch, and how this crosstalk could regulate host defense.

Hybrid in-person/virtual event. Click here for more information. Harvard affiliates can attend this event at Classroom Geo 375 (Peabody Museum).

This event is co-sponsored by the Harvard Brain Science Initiative and the Harvard Microbial Sciences Initiative.