Jen Philips Lab

Welcome to Jen Philips Lab

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) has afflicted humans for thousands of years and is second only to SARS-CoV-2 as an infectious disease killer. The long term goal of the Philips laboratory is to help change the face of the TB epidemic. Mtb is a master and undermining host immunity. Mtb grows in macrophages and impairs the innate and adaptive immune response. We want to understand how Mtb impairs immunity to design novel therapies and an effective vaccine. We believe that to make transformative steps forward, we will have to better understand the molecular pathogenesis of M. tuberculosis. We work at the intersection of microbiology, immunology, and cell biology to elucidate mechanisms of pathogenesis.

We use genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics to identify novel bacterial effectors and host pathways that regulate Mtb infection. The discoveries in the Philips laboratory have helped elucidate how Mycobacterium tuberculosis blocks lysosomal trafficking, inhibits the NADPH oxidase, alters host metabolism, and impairs antigen presentation. This basic understanding has revealed new potential treatments and biomarkers of disease burden.