Jeff Dong

Tissue resident macrophages are primordial innate immune cells that help maintain homeostasis and are one of the first responders to infection and injury. Microglia are tissue resident macrophages of the central nervous system (CNS) and they are predominant immune cells that populate the brain and spinal cord. In addition to performing custodial functions, microglia quickly react against injury and accumulate to pathological sites, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions. Our lab focuses on studying how microglia regulate inflammation, repair, and fibrosis in the CNS, especially during multiple sclerosis. Oxidized phosphatidylcholines (OxPCs) form when free radicals released during inflammation or tissue injury cause normal phosphatidylcholine found in cell membrane or in myelin sheaths to undergo peroxidation. OxPCs are inflammatory, cytotoxic, and are implicated to promote tissue pathology in multiple diseases such as lung fibrosis, fatty liver disease, atherosclerosis, and MS. Macrophages like microglia are phagocytic cells capable of scavenging OxPCs through cell surface scavenger receptors. By studying the OxPCs binding and signaling mechanisms in macrophages and microglia, our lab aims to identify new therapeutics that could be utilized to improve OxPC elimination during injury and disease.