Dr. Igor Brodsky

Biography

Igor E. Brodsky is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania, where he leads a research lab focused on the interplay between bacterial virulence mechanisms and host innate immune recognition strategies. His work examines how bacterial pathogens are sensed by host cells and how this sensing contributes to antimicrobial immune defenses. Brodsky's lab investigates the immune system's various recognition strategies, including membrane-bound pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and cytosolic sensors like the NLR family, which detect microbial virulence activities and regulate cell death responses. His research emphasizes the roles of caspases, specifically caspase-1 and caspase-8, in activating inflammatory responses to microbial infections, elucidating how successful pathogens evade innate immune recognition. Through genetic, biochemical, and immunological approaches, his team aims to understand the mechanisms by which Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, such as Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Salmonella typhimurium, activate the inflammasome and how this activation shapes innate and adaptive immune responses.

Research Interests