Laboratory of  Molecular Immunology 

Philip M. Murphy, M.D., Chief

pmm@nih.gov
301-496-8616

The Laboratory of Molecular Immunology (LMI) studies innate and adaptive immune system function in health and disease and is especially interested in delineating mechanisms that control specific leukocyte movement. A major focus at the molecular level is the chemokines and other chemoattractants and their G protein-coupled receptors. LMI scientists also pursue studies of mucosal immunology in the gut, reovirus and rotavirus infection in the gut, and mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease. They explore the basic properties of neutrophils, macrophages, naïve and memory T cells, and dendritic cells, as well as genetic risk factors for complex immune-mediated diseases.

In LMI, studies on the molecular pathogenesis of infectious and immunologic/inflammatory diseases, including HIV/AIDS, West Nile virus infection, listeria infection, Trypanosoma cruzi, Toxoplasma gondii, fungal infection, sepsis, atherosclerosis, psoriasis, and primary immunodeficiency work toward a goal of identifying novel therapeutic targets and vaccine strategies.