Robbie Watson, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Lab Research: The Watson lab is focused on the notorious human pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which remains a major global health threat.  M. tuberculosis has evolved a variety of specific adaptations to not only survive but also replicate within the harsh environment inside a macrophage. We want to understand how host macrophages sense and respond to M. tuberculosis and how specific host proteins regulate the outcome of M. tuberculosis infection, both inside macrophages ex vivo and in a mouse model of infection. We have recently started to focus on the interface between mitochondria and M. tuberculosis. Specifically, we are interested in uncovering the molecular mechanisms that explain why mutations in several genes related to mitochondrial function confer susceptibility to M. tuberculosis in humans.

Keywords: Innate immunity, macrophage, mitochondria, immunometabolism, autophagy type I inteferon, gene expression, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, intracellular bacterial pathogens