Christine Hehnly, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Research
Lab opening in August 2026
Research areas:
- Molecular Biology
- Neuroimmunology
- Hydrocephalus
- Infectious Disease
Immune cells shape neural development and responses to injury through diverse signaling mechanisms, yet the origins and regulation of these neuroimmune interactions across healthy and disease states remain poorly understood. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which bathes the brain and spinal cord, has traditionally been viewed as a passive cushion or a biomarker reservoir but is now recognized as a dynamic signaling environment. The choroid plexus, the epithelial tissue that produces CSF, sits at the interface between blood and CSF and plays a key role in shaping immune communication within this fluid. Our research explores how immune signals in CSF are generated, regulated, and contribute to brain development and injury, using novel experimental models and human disease samples.
By integrating advanced techniques, including functional genomics, imaging, and genetic perturbation, with patient-derived samples and cohort studies, we aim to identify conserved immune pathways linking infection to long-term neurological outcomes. Our key research objectives include:
- Defining conserved developmental and disease-stage regulation of CSF immune signaling
- Elucidating immune mechanisms driving hydrocephalus and postinfectious brain injury
- Advancing precision diagnostics and therapies for infectious and neuroinflammatory disorders
- Reprogramming immune cells within the CSF-brain niche for therapeutic intervention
Ultimately, we seek to define the source and regulation of immune signaling in the developing brain and translate these insights into improved diagnostics and treatments for infants at risk of inflammatory brain injury.
Education
- B.S., University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University School of Medicine, Hershey, PA
- Post-doctoral Fellowship, Department of Pathology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA