About the Lab

One of the most fundamental challenges facing the human immune system is discriminating between pathogenic and commensal microbes and responding appropriately to each. This task is especially challenging within the gut, home to tens of billions of beneficial bacteria as well as potential pathogens.  Emerging evidence suggests signals generated within the gut influence not only local immune responses, but also shape immune cell development in disparate sites within the body, with profound consequences for human health and disease.

The Cowardin lab is focused on understanding how this critical process occurs during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, a window of opportunity during development that sets the stage for later life susceptibility to infection, cognitive function and metabolic health. The overarching goal of the lab is to determine how gut microbial communities can influence both local and systemic inflammatory responses to improve maternal and child health.