Molecular Diagnosis,Vaccine Development,Neuroimmunomodulation,Stress, Immunity and Infection (Space Biology & Countermeasure Development)
My research efforts are directed towards the understanding of the role of the immune system in resistance to infection, more specifically the understanding of how external factors such as exposure to stressful conditions (physical stress) or spaceflight (microgravity, shift of fluids) affect the function of the immune system and renders hosts exposed to these conditions extremely susceptible to infections. My approach is not only to study how hormones released under stressful conditions affect the function of the immune system of the host, but also to study how these hormones affect the physiology of pathogenic microorganisms, focusing on rate of growth and virulence. |
