My research focus is inflammation and the molecular processes that trigger this response in the innate immune system. I study how protein complexes called inflammasomes cause inflammation, and how they can be targeted therapeutically to prevent damaging inflammation. I have led the biological characterization of a small molecule called MCC950 that inhibits the NLRP3 inflammasome, a driver of many of prevalent diseases such as type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, gout, multiple sclerosis, and atherosclerosis. I am also interested in the regulation and function of inflammasomes specifically in human cell types such as macrophages.