Brief Summary of research: 

We study the gut-brain axis in aging and neurological disorders. Our major research question is  how processes that occur in the gut, affect brain functions and the aging process in health and disease. To answer this question, we look at the whole-organism level to identify novel targets to treat brain pathologies. Our ultimate goal is to achieve in-depth understanding of the intestinal processes affecting brain dysfunction (mediated by immune cells, microbiomes, and metabolites) that will support the development of better treatments, prolonged lifespan and healthier aging. We carry out longitudinal pre-clinical studies in young and aged mice to elucidate systemic, long-term processes that predispose the aging organism to develop neurological damage.

Specific research topics related to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology:

At the Nano-scale – we study age-related cell-cell interactions and tissue architectural changes in brain and intestinal cells by multiplexed imaging. Using our Phenocycler Fusion system, we are able to simultaneously image 70+ markers at protein level in gut and brain sections, to discover cellular localizations, interactions and dynamics at the tissue context.