The Romberg Lab investigates the regulatory mechanisms that enable our immune systems to vigorously attack infectious pathogens but not our own bodies. Particular topics of interest include:
- The role of pioneer transcription factors in hematopoiesis
- Epigentic and somatic mechanisms of gene silencing in lymphocytes
- The role of T regulatory cells in B cell tolerance
- T follicular helper cell dysfunction in Common Variable Immune Deficiency-related autoimmune disease
- The role of novel genes and pathways in immunity
- The causes and consequences of dysbiosis
We are particularly interested in studying the immune system of patients with primary immunological diseases (PID) who are susceptible to both life-threatening infections and to the development of autoimmune diseases. Greater insights into the pathology of these rare diseases will enable the rational development of targeted therapies for PIDs and for more common diseases that have an immunologic basis.
In addition to basic scientific inquiries, the Romberg lab has discovered or has contributed to the discovery of several inherited diseases of the immune system and identified personalized therapies for affected patients. Such disorders include:
- PU.1-mutated agammaglobulinemia (PU.MA)
- CD40LG duplication associated autoimmune disease (40DAD)
- Combined CD28/CTLA4 haploinsufficiency
- Autoinflammation with infantile enterocolitis (AIFEC)
- Hypomorphic CARD11 mutation related atopic disease
Romberg Lab 