We are based in southern California, at Chapman University, inside the Keck Center for Science and Engineering.
We study the social and environmental determinants of health in animals. More specifically, we examine the consequences of social and environmental stimuli on the behavior and the neural, endocrine, reproductive, and immune systems of both sick and healthy animals. A significant focus has been on the study of sickness behaviors, which consist of the array of behavioral changes exhibited by sick animals, to understand the modulation of those behaviors. More recently, the lab’s research has shifted towards examining how disgust influences the physiology of healthy animals, a novel area of research that is gaining attention.
To carry out this type of work, we make use a range of molecular biology techniques and immunological assays, including RNA-seq, quantitative PCR, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, immunohistochemistry, and fluorescent microscopy.
The figure above was taken from: Lopes PC. 2023. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Volume 38, Issue 9, 799 - 801 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2023.05.018
We study the social and environmental determinants of health in animals. More specifically, we examine the consequences of social and environmental stimuli on the behavior and the neural, endocrine, reproductive, and immune systems of both sick and healthy animals. A significant focus has been on the study of sickness behaviors, which consist of the array of behavioral changes exhibited by sick animals, to understand the modulation of those behaviors. More recently, the lab’s research has shifted towards examining how disgust influences the physiology of healthy animals, a novel area of research that is gaining attention.
To carry out this type of work, we make use a range of molecular biology techniques and immunological assays, including RNA-seq, quantitative PCR, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, immunohistochemistry, and fluorescent microscopy.
The figure above was taken from: Lopes PC. 2023. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Volume 38, Issue 9, 799 - 801 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2023.05.018
