Andrew Monteith, Ph.D.

Research

My research will explore how elevated temperatures enhance immune function and infection elimination. Fever is a well-known response to illness, but how exactly does temperature augment immunity and enhance microbial clearance? In preliminary studies, my lab found that mice that develop a fever reprogram immune cell metabolism and function, enabling mice to better survive infection. We also discovered that immune cells may use heat to their advantage: When they engulf invading bacteria, they generate localized thermal stress that may help clear microbes from the body. Now, using cutting-edge techniques in immune metabolism, genetic engineering, and molecular temperature sensing, we will assess how fever reprograms immune cell development and function. We will also determine whether the compartment used by immune cells to sequester ingested bacteria acts as an intracellular “blast-furnace” that intensifies antimicrobial stress on engulfed bacteria. Our findings could point toward novel therapeutic strategies for harnessing temperature to enhance immunity.