About

The Dunn Lab explores intriguing and unexpected aspects of innate immunity with the goal of revolutionizing treatment of allergic diseases.

We study a type of innate immune cell called an eosinophil. Eosinophils are thought to be pro-inflammatory, and are held responsible for the inflammatory symptoms in allergic disease. Recent studies, however, have shown that eosinophils have important non-inflammatory roles in tissue development and healing.

Research in the Dunn Lab explores: 1) how eosinophils specialize in different environments, 2) how specialized eosinophils interact with other cells in the environment, and 3) how pro-inflammatory eosinophils may be re-specialized to assist in tissue repair.

To address our core questions, we use murine models of allergic disease as well as human organoid tissue cultures to understand how eosinophils respond to environmental signals and how they, in turn, impact their surrounding tissues.

We use microscopy, flow cytometry, and transcriptomic analysis to understand reciprocal changes that occur in eosinophils, epithelial cells, and fibroblasts in the mucosal environment.

The Dunn Lab originated at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine in September, 2023. Our primary affiliation is with the Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Diseases Program (GEDP), headed by a clinical director Glenn Furuta, M.D. and scientific director Lisa Spencer, PhD.