The major goal of the Pukkila-Worley laboratory is to define evolutionarily ancient mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions in intestinal epithelial cells. In particular, we are intrigued by the hypothesis that cells at mucosal surfaces, which interface with both potentially dangerous and innocuous microbes, survey for symptoms or ligands that indicate active infection – or patterns of pathogenesis – to engage protective inflammatory defenses.
Our laboratory uses C. elegans as a discovery platform to define evolutionarily ancient mechanisms of pathogen sensing and immune activation. On the right, a photograph of a nematode that has been infected with the important human bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aerginosa, is shown. Individual bacteria can be visualized within the markedly distended intestinal lumen of the animals. Also shown is the whole lab at the major international meeting in our field.
(Above data do not include the first year of rotations)
- 8/15/26: Noah awarded an F30... the lab's 3rd!
- 7/27/26: R01 grant is renewed for another 5 years with a score of 1%!
- 5/31/26: Sammy awarded the Dean's Award for best PhD thesis!
- 4/15/26: Sammy matched at Boston Children's for Peds residency!
- 7/1/25: Read named Director of the MSTP at UMass Chan
- 6/1/25: Khursheed's review featured on the cover of Trends in Immunology
- 4/17/25: Review from the lab published in Nature Reviews Immunology
- 9/18/24: Sammy's companion papers out in Immunity AND Cell Reports!
- 6/1/24: Nick won the Chancellor's Award!
- 4/25/24: Read won the Dean's Award for Outstanding Mentoring
- 4/8/24: Read elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation
- 4/3/24: Sammy defended her Ph.D. thesis!
- 3/15/24: Nick matched in the Stanbury PSTP at MGH!
- 11/2/23: Amanda accepted! Future MD,PhD!
- 10/31/23: PLOS Pathogens paper- Mo's thesis research!
- 8/2/23: New paper! Congrats Sammy!
- 7/20/23: Mo defended his Ph.D. thesis!!
- 7/15/23: Subhash got job as Assistant Professor!
- 6/21/23: Nice article about the lab
- 5/1/23: Sammy wins a prestigious grad student award!
- 3/7/23: Nice write-up about our paper in UMass Chan NEWS
- 2/17/23: Nick and Sammy published a paper in Immunity!!
More news...
Worcester, known as the “Heart of the Commonwealth” is located in Central Massachusetts
