The seminar room at Wallenberg Lab was crowded as we gathered to hear guest speaker Jeffrey Hubbell delivering an engaging talk titled “Modulating immunity through engineered microbial metabolites and metabolic enzymes”. 

Professor Hubbell, Vice President for Life Sciences and Engineering at NYU, holds professorships spanning engineering, biology, chemistry, and medicine. He also leads NYU’s cross-campus Engineering Health initiative and is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

With more than 400 publications and 100 US patents, his research focuses on using biomaterials and protein engineering to precisely control immune responses. His work explores how antigens, cytokines, and metabolites can be tuned to regulate immune system behavior, with implications for treating inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and inflammatory bowel disease. His team also develops approaches to boost anti-tumor immunity and support tissue repair while reducing fibrosis.

We are grateful for the visit, the engaging talk, and the insightful discussion, and we look forward to welcoming Professor Hubbell back again soon.