Kathy McCoy

Our research focuses on the dynamic interplay between the gut microbiota and the innate and adaptive immune systems during homeostasis and inflammation

OUR AIMS

To understand how exposure to intestinal microbes early in life educates and regulates the developing immune system and how this impacts on susceptibility to immune-mediated diseases, such as allergy and autoimmunity, later in life.

To increase our understanding of the cellular and molecular pathways underlying the impact of the microbiome in health and disease to enable innovative approaches to harness the microbiome to treat or prevent disease.

HOW?

Using germ-free and gnotobiotic animal models together with human translational studies. Kathy is the director of a 10,000-square-foot germ-free, gnotobiotic facility. There researchers transplant specific microbiomes into germ-free animals in an environment free from bacterial or viral contaminants. Coupling of animal studies with advanced imaging capacities, such as intravital microscopy, enables researchers to investigate the interplay of the microbiome and the immune system.