Collins Lab
Projects

Research Projects

We use mouse models for rigorous mechanistic studies and aim to validate our findings in humans, using both human cell culture systems and human patient samples. Projects in the laboratory are aimed at answering the following questions:

How does maternal IL-10 restrict fetal HSPCs from engaging in robust emergency myelopoiesis?

The long-term goal is to identify novel therapeutic strategies that could be targeted to boost neonatal myeloid cell production and improve outcomes of neonatal sepsis.

What regulates the maturation of HSPCs from fetal to adult function?

The long-term goal is to identify mechanisms that could be targeted to promote healthy hematopoietic maturation.

What are the consequences of perinatal inflammation on the function of HSPCs later in life?

The long-term goal is shed light on developmental origins of adult disease to better understand the lifelong consequences of neonatal exposures and potential opportunities to intervene and ameliorate health outcomes across the lifespan.

Translational Extensions

We are committed to pursuing translational extensions of each of these projects in humans. A key unanswered question is whether the extrinsic restriction of emergency myelopoiesis in murine fetal HSPCs is also observed in humans. We are using human umbilical cord blood (UCB) from healthy term pregnancies as well as pregnancies complicated by a range of pathologies (e.g. preeclampsia, chorioamnionitis) to address this question. We also validate our findings in human patient samples and organoid models.

Our Response to the IV Fluid Shortage

Collins LabProjects