Dr. Edelblum received her Ph.D. from the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology at Vanderbilt University where she investigated mechanisms regulating intestinal epithelial cell survival downstream of cytokine signaling and in response to colitis. Fascinated by the synergy between immunological, epithelial and microbial factors during the pathogenesis of colitis, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at The University of Chicago where she developed novel advanced live imaging approaches to visualize immune/epithelial interactions in the intestinal mucosa during exposure to enteric pathogens. Dr. Edelblum's long-term research interests are to identify how gamma delta T cell/epithelial interactions shape innate immune responses to pathogenic and commensal bacteria as a means to treat inflammatory bowel disease.

Our research functions at the intersection between mucosal immunology, cell biology and microbiology to better understand the underlying cause of IBD. By visualizing cellular interactions in real time, we aim to provide new insight into the complexities of intestinal immunity. Through our studies, we hope to develop novel strategies to enhance barrier function in IBD patients to prevent disease relapse. Our primary interest is deciphering the role and regulation of intraepithelial lymphocytes expressing the unconventional gamma delta T cell receptor (gd IELs), which exhibit a largely protective function in the intestinal mucosa. Ongoing NIH-funded studies include investigation of (1) the role of type I interferon and the intestinal microbiota in the regulation of gd IEL function, (2) how CD103 ligation by epithelial E-cadherin contributes to the activation of downstream signaling pathways and effector function in gd IELs, and (3) the role of gd IELs in the onset of ileal Crohn's disease. We leverage unique mouse models, IEL/enteroid co-cultures, multi-omics approaches, intravital microscopy and access to IBD patient specimens to address these questions.