THE CLARK LAB

The Clark lab at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus investigates bacterial-driven immune modulation in the respiratory tract. The upper respiratory tract is home to a diverse microbial community that includes both commensal and opportunistic bacterial pathogens. Research in the lab explores how exposure to these bacteria influences upper and lower respiratory tract inflammation and disease. We model host-pathogen interactions using Streptococcus pneumoniae, the most common cause of bacterial otitis media (ear infection) and pneumonia, Haemophilus influenzae, and commensal bacterial species. 

Our studies focus on how bacteria alter the activity of innate immune cells including neutrophils, and the impact of bacterial immune modulation on susceptibility to infection and overall respiratory tract health. Recent work from our lab identified a mechanism by which airway Prevotella improve neutrophil-mediated clearance of the pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae from the lungs. We have also explored how neutrophil protective activity is impaired by the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, which is induced by S. pneumoniae and other pathogens. The long-term goal of this work is to identify new therapeutic approaches for the clinically significant problems of respiratory tract infection and inflammation.