Assistant Professor, Cancer Biology - GIDP | Assistant Professor, BIO5 Institute | Member of the Graduate Faculty | Assistant Professor, Immunobiology
Justin Wilson obtained his PhD from Albany Medical College studying the impact of Francisella tularensis infection on macrophage antigen presentation and T cell responses in the laboratory of Jim R. Drake. He then joined the laboratory of Jenny P-Y Ting at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where his research focused on the role of the innate immune genes AIM2 and NLRP12 during the regulation of inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer development. Dr. Wilson joined the department of Immunobiology as an Assistant Professor in June of 2018.
Dr. Justin Wilson, Assistant Professor in Immunobiology, has been awarded a grant by the DPT of Health & Human Services to explore the role of the innate immune gene AIM2 in regulating intestinal stem cell differentiation into tuft cells during inflammation. The project aims to:
Identify the molecular and cellular processes by which AIM2 promotes intestinal tuft cell development and inflammatory signaling. This includes:
- Using tissue-specific animal models and intestinal epithelial organoids to study the contribution of AIM2 on specific intestinal epithelial populations;
- Using organoids expressing ligand-binding deficient mutants of AIM2 to test the molecular role of AIM2's innate sensing function on tuft cell development;
- Using animal models of intestinal inflammation to study the impact of AIM2 on tuft cell-dependent cytokine signaling and chronic inflammation.
This research could lead to the discovery of new ways to regulate immune responses in the gut to promote beneficial immunity, while resolving chronic inflammatory diseases, including IBD. This research seeks to better understanding the complex communication networks between microbes, epithelial barriers, and immune cells in the intestine.