Julie A Swartzendruber, Ph.D.

There is growing evidence that exposure to microorganisms can influence tolerance to allergens (i.e. hygiene hypothesis). My lab is studying the role of the commensal bacterium Bacillus subtilis in protection from allergic disease and the mechanism. We have used B. subtilis to establish that it can prevent allergic inflammation induced by house dust mite. We are working to understand the mechanism of this immune suppression. This work will be important for improving therapies that are currently limited to treating and not preventing, as well as provide evidence for the increasing prevalence of allergic disease.
Additional work in our lab is focused on identifying the role of histamine receptors on immune cell function. Histamine is major mediator of the symptoms of allergic disease and elicits its function through 4 different receptors. The projects in our lab seek to determine how various histamine receptors influence the function of immune cells. For example, we know histamine receptor 2 expression influences the ability of alveolar/lung cells to produce recruitment factors that drive allergic asthma. We believe this work will expand on our understanding of the allergic disease process and open-up avenues for advance drug targeting to improve treatment for allergic disease.