Mangalam Laboratory

Welcome to the Mangalam Lab

We believe that restoring balance between the microbiota and the immune system has the power to transform human health. Our work begins with a simple question: what happens when this partnership breaks down, and how can we rebuild it?

Guided by a bedside-to-bench-to-bedside approach, we combine human cohort studies with mechanistic work in immune cells, organoids, and animal models to uncover how microbial communities and their metabolites shape neuroinflammation, tolerance, and immune resilience.

Our goal is to translate these insights into meaningful clinical impact by identifying diagnostic markers, prognostic indicators, and therapeutic targets rooted in host–microbe interactions.

We investigate how diet, HLA genetics, sex hormones, and environmental exposures disrupt or restore this delicate balance. By integrating microbiome science, immunology, metabolomics, and genetics, we aim to advance a future where microbiome-guided diagnostics and interventions help rebuild immune homeostasis and improve the lives of people with MS and other chronic inflammatory diseases.