Joshua A. Boyce‘s laboratory focuses on the mechanisms by which lipid mediators of inflammation control the innate arm of type 2 immunity associated with asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis, nasal polyposis and aspirin sensitivity. We use a combination of unbiased transcriptomic approaches with human tissue and transgenic animals to address the central questions. We have identified critical functions for each of the three known cysteinyl leukotriene (cysLT) receptors in controlling platelet and mast cell activation, as well as group 2 innate lymphoid cell expansion and activation by both direct and indirect circuits. We have also demonstrated that perturbations in the control of these systems by genetic and epigenetic mechanisms profoundly affect the magnitude and severity of mucosal pathology, leading to the development of disease. The translational significance of our studies is greatly reinforced by our collaborations with our strong clinical programs.
Joshua A. Boyce, MD, is a Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and the Albert L. Sheffer Professor of Medicine in the Field of Allergic Disease at Harvard Medical School. He is the Chief of the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). He is a leader in the area of lipid mediators and their role in the pathogenesis of airway inflammation, innate immunity, asthma and control of mast cell function. He has published more than 150 studies in peer reviewed journals. His lab has been funded by NIH since 1995. He currently holds a U19 award, two R01 grants, and a MERIT award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID). He has served as Associate Editor at the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology since 2005, and is currently Secretary General of the Collegium Internationale Allergologicum. He has trained more than 20 postdoctoral fellows, most of whom currently hold full time academic positions. He received the Mentoring Award from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in 2020. A named chair was established in his honor at the BWH in 2022.
