Wood Brain Immunity Laboratory


Education

  • Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012
  • M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008
  • M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008
  • B.S., Oregon State University, 2004

Teaching Interests

Professor Wood’s teaching interests include core mechanical engineering courses that emphasize foundational concepts in mechanics and machine learning. He is committed to integrating interdisciplinary approaches in both undergraduate and graduate education. His instruction aims to prepare students for advanced study and professional practice through a strong foundations and practical examples.

Research Interests

Microglia, astrocytes, and neurons all contribute immune signaling responses in traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer’s disease. My laboratory interrogates signaling mechanisms of brain injury and disease using a combination of targeted phospho-proteomic and cytokine signaling assays and gene expression network analysis in concert with mouse and in vitro model systems. Our recent findings implicate neuronal p38 MAPK immune signaling as a driver of traumatic brain injury and our ongoing work implicates hyperactivated microglial MAPK/ERK signaling in Alzheimer’s disease. We have also established novel tools for interrogating immune signaling from individual cell types using transgenic TurboID-based native state proteomics. These new tools combined with omics-based profiling hold the potential to unlock critical immune-based disease mechanisms and novel immune-targeting therapies.

Recent Publications

  • Bitarafan S, Tobin B, Espinosa-Garcia C, Rangaraju S, Wood LB. Direct quantification of cell type-specific proteins using Luminex assays with TurboID-labeled cells and tissues. Methods Cell Biol. 2026;200:89-103. doi: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2025.03.001. Epub 2025 Apr 25. PMID: 41276355.
  • Li C, Griffin MN, Triplett SE, Silverio AE, Pettit E, Rohrer AM, Callaway JP, Munagapati PV, Saah PF Jr, Sanz PI, Rivera Moctezuma FG, Holberton A, Gomez A, Buckley EM, Wood LB. Inhibition of p38 MAPK after repetitive mTBI ameliorates immune signaling and functional deficits. Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2026 Jan 30. doi: 10.1186/s40478-026-02226-w. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41618372.
  • Wood LB, Singer AC. Neurons as Immunomodulators: From Rapid Neural Activity to Prolonged Regulation of Cytokines and Microglia. Annu Rev Biomed Eng. 2025 May;27(1):55-72. doi: 10.1146/annurev-bioeng-110122-120158. Epub 2025 Jan 13. PMID: 39805040; PMCID: PMC12486157.
  • Bitarafan S, Pybus AF, Rivera Moctezuma FG, Adibi M, Franklin TC, Singer AC, Wood LB. Frequency and duration of sensory flicker control transcriptional profiles in 5xFAD mice. APL Bioeng. 2025 Jul 8;9(3):036102. doi: 10.1063/5.0261497. PMID: 40642323; PMCID: PMC12240601.
  • Tobin BR, Misko A, Miller-Browne V, Sangster M, Grishchuk Y, Wood LB. Exploring human plasma proteomic variations in mucolipidosis type IV. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev. 2025 Apr 24;33(2):101479. doi: 10.1016/j.omtm.2025.101479. PMID: 40486934; PMCID: PMC12141561.