Using C. elegans we are investigating how animals respond to the presence of pathogenic microorganisms. Animals, including humans, use two main strategies to defend themselves; the best characterised is the immune response but behavioural changes also play an important role in defence.
Using genetic screens we are identifying conserved signalling pathways that acts in different cells to mediate behavioural and immune responses. We are particularly interested in how communication between the immune and nervous systems may influence responses to pathogenic bacteria.