Research

Dr. Bat-Erdene Jugder’s research at Boston Children’s Hospital spans several key areas within immunology and microbiology. Here are the main focuses of his work:

1. Intestinal Immunity:

   

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   • Adaptive and Innate Immunity: Dr. Jugder investigates how the immune system in the gut responds to various stimuli, focusing on both adaptive (specific) and innate (general) immune responses.
   • Microbiota-Derived Products: He studies how products derived from gut microbiota (the community of microorganisms living in the intestines) influence immune responses. This includes understanding how these products can be used to develop new therapies for gastrointestinal diseases.

2. Therapeutic Targets for GI Diseases:

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   • Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): Dr. Jugder’s research aims to identify new therapeutic targets for treating these chronic conditions.
   • Food Allergies: He explores how the immune system can be modulated to prevent or treat food allergies1.
   • Cholestatic Fibrotic Diseases: This includes diseases like Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC), and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH). His work seeks to understand and develop treatments for these conditions.

3. Microbiota-Intestinal Epithelial Cell Interactions:

   
   • Gut Commensal/Pathogenic Bacteria: Dr. Jugder studies how beneficial and harmful bacteria in the gut interact with intestinal epithelial cells, focusing on immune and metabolic responses.
   • Novel Mechanisms: His research has uncovered new mechanisms, such as how microbiota-derived acetate activates immune and metabolic responses in enteroendocrine cells.

4. Host Mucosal Immunity:

   • Quorum-Sensing Systems: He investigates how bacterial communication systems (quorum-sensing) influence host mucosal immunity, particularly through modulating enteroendocrine, steroid hormone, and neurotransmitter signaling.

5. Treg Cell Biology:

   
   • Anti-Allergic Immune Response: Dr. Jugder examines the role of the microbiota-intestinal epithelial cell axis, specifically Tuft and Goblet cells, in promoting regulatory T cell (Treg) driven anti-allergic immune responses.
   • Transcriptional Complexes: He also studies novel transcriptional complexes involved in regulating Treg cell function, which are crucial for maintaining immune tolerance and preventing autoimmune diseases.

Dr. Jugder’s work is highly impactful, contributing significantly to the fields of immunology and microbiology, and advancing our understanding of gut health and disease