Home Department: Bioengineering
Mentor: Michael Howitt (Pathology and Microbiology & Immunology)

“The Role of Chemosensory Tuft Cells in Adaptive Immune Responses"

Peyer’s patches are lymph nodes embedded in the intestine that sample microbial and food antigens. Surprisingly, the epithelial cells overlying the Peyer’s patches contain taste cells called tuft cells with unknown function. Heather will investigate how tuft cells influence antigen acquisition and signal to immune cells in Peyer’s patches. Using flow cytometry, Heather will study changes in antibody-secreting cells at baseline and during tuft cell activation by parasites. Using epithelial organoids, Heather will dissect the developmental relationship between tuft cells and sampling cells. This work will contribute to our understanding of oral tolerance and food allergies.