The field of interest of Dr. Hajishengallis and the members of the
Hajishengallis laboratory lies at the host-microbe interface at mucosal surfaces, and their work has illuminated novel mechanisms of microbial dysbiosis, inflammation, and tissue homeostasis. More recently, the laboratory has been also working on projects regarding the impact of aging on the immune system, regulation of myelopoiesis and trained innate immunity. The combination of basic scientific and translational research has led to innovative approaches to clinical problems, such as exemplified by complement-targeted inhibition of periodontal disease. The research program of the laboratory is mainly supported by the NIH/NIDCR and has published over 200 papers (with over 21,000 citations; h-index 74 – Google Scholar), including publications in journals of general scientific interest, such as Cell, Nature Immunology, Science Translational Medicine, Cell Host & Microbe, New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Nature Communications, PNAS, Science Signaling, Nature Reviews Immunology, and Nature Reviews Microbiology. The laboratory’s research has been featured in Nature Reviews, Faculty of 1000-Biology, the NIH/NIDCR website, Scientific American, AAAS Science Update, WHYY-FM (NPR, Philadelphia) and the popular press. Dr. Hajishengallis was awarded the Distinguished Scientist Award in Oral Biology from the International Association of Dental Research (IADR) in 2012 and a MERIT award from the NIH in 2016. He has been listed as a Highly Cited Researcher (Cross-Field category) by Clarivate Analytics in 2018 and 2020.