Jhimmy Talbot, PhD
Assistant Professor
Basic Sciences Division
Dr. Jhimmy Talbot studies how interactions between neurons and immune cells in the gut can help the body balance its immune and metabolic trade-offs. The gut balances two competing needs: bringing nutrients in and keeping pathogens out. Talbot showed that in the presence of food, certain gut neurons can increase nutrient absorption by reining in the activity of a specialized subset of immune cells that act to increase the gut wall’s barrier function by decreasing its permeability. His work reveals how changes in the diet or in the intestinal microbiota may lead to metabolic dysfunction and how neuroimmune interactions could be hijacked by microbes to enable infection.
Education
Universidade de Sao Paulo, 2015, PhD
Universidade de Sao Paulo, 2015, MSc
Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, 2009, BS Biomedicine
Research Interests
Neuroimmunology: role in intestinal homeostasis
Enteric nervous system control of immunity and metabolism
Neuronal control of host-microbiota interactions in the gut
Neuronal mediated integration of distinct organ functions
Neuronal and immunologic basis of intestinal dysfunctions present in inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome and diabetes
"Our research might not only help to find new ways of treating gut infections, but also reveal new forms of therapy for malnutrition and metabolic disorders."
— Dr. Jhimmy Talbot