Our lab studies how systemic physiology shapes tissue health, with a focus on mammalian skin. We investigate how neural and hormonal signals, metabolic state, and environmental stressors are translated into local programs that govern stem cell behavior, regeneration, immune surveillance, and inflammation. By combining genetics, functional in vivo models, multi-omics, and quantitative tissue analysis, we aim to uncover principles linking brain–body physiology to organ maintenance and to inspire new therapeutic strategies for regenerative medicine, inflammatory disorders, and cancer.

1. Systemic metabolism and dietary control of stem cell states: We study how whole-body metabolic cues—such as feeding/fasting cycles and endocrine signals—reprogram tissue and tissue stem cells. Our goal is to understand how metabolic state alters stem cell activation, regeneration dynamics, and long-term tissue resilience, and how these mechanisms intersect with inflammation and aging. (Cell, 2025)

2. Neuro-epithelial-immune circuits in barrier tissues: We define how peripheral nerves, particularly sympathetic inputs, communicate with epithelial cells to tune local immune tone and tissue-resident immune surveillance. We focus on the molecular “relay” programs in epithelium that convert neural activity into changes in immune cell recruitment, maintenance, and function, and test how these circuits shape early disease outcomes in models of autoimmune diseases and cancer. (Cell, 2026)

3. Manipulating systemic control of tissue health in complex disease and adaptation: We investigate how systemic regulatory programs—neural activity, endocrine cues, and metabolic state—can be experimentally manipulated to reshape tissue homeostasis and disease trajectories. By mapping causal links from whole-body inputs to local cell states and tissue outcomes, we aim to uncover mechanisms underlying complex diseases and identify new therapeutic targets.