Speaker

Dr. Chiu’s main research focus is on the role of neuroimmune interactions in pain, neurodegeneration and tissue immunity. Dr. Chiu is a Professor of Immunology at Harvard Medical School. He received his PhD in Immunology at Harvard Medical School, and postdoctoral training in neurobiology at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Chiu began his independent faculty position in 2014.

The Chiu lab has found that nociceptive neurons directly detect bacterial pathogens to produce pain and itch. These neurons signal to immune cells via neuropeptides including CGRP in the skin, lungs, gut and meninges to regulate host defense. His lab recently found that Gasdermin proteins drive neurodegeneration in ALS. Defining how neurons sense microbes could lead to new treatments for pain and inflammatory diseases. Dr. Chiu has received the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease Award, NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative Ben Barres Award, and Kenneth Rainin Foundation Innovators Award.

« Go Back