Microglia Activation

Microglia are a special type of immune cell found only in the central nervous system. These multifaceted cells fight infections, repair damage, remove debris, and are central to maintaining brain health. However, these cells can go rogue and contribute to neurodegenerative pathologies such as Alzheimer's Disease. This is linked to a shift in their cellular metabolism, but how and why this metabolic reprogramming occurs and its impact on disease progression remains unknown. My lab develops and analyzes multi-scale mathematical models to better understand the role of various molecular mechanisms in microglia behavior and how this behavior influences and orchestrates further cellular activity in the brain. 

This work is supported by the National Science Foundation through the Mathematical Biology Program and the System and Synthetic Biology Cluster.  We are extremely grateful for this support.