Preceptor

• Colin Reardon

College

• UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine

Research

• It is increasingly appreciated that the nervous and immune systems communicate bidirectionally both at steady state and during inflammatory conditions. Receptors and ligands once thought to be specific to the nervous system are now known to be expressed by immune cells and vice versa, underscoring neuroimmune crosstalk as a conserved, functionally important feature of physiology. Neuropeptides and neurotransmitters actively regulate innate and adaptive immune responses, particularly at mucosal barriers, where pathogens constantly interface with host tissues. My research centers on nociceptive neurons in the gut, which secrete the neuropeptide Substance P (SP).