Deborah Fowell

Dr. Fowell’s laboratory’s research focuses on the spatiotemporal regulation of T cell immunity at tissues sites of infection and inflammation. The rapid response of the immune system to tissue damage and infection is reliant on the incredibly nimble movement of leukocytes between and within tissues. Tissue-specific mobilization depends on the ability of leukocytes to sense directional signals from specialized niches and to quickly respond and adapt to environmental cues and tissue landscapes remodeled by infection, inflammation and malignancy. The inflamed microenvironment provides positional cues that can optimize immune function, but may also provide signals that alter function and promote or inhibit T cell survival.  Understanding the regulation of leukocyte migration and function at inflamed sites is central to our ability to control immune function in health and disease.