Dr. Sourav Bhattacharya joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Instructor as of June 2025.
Dr. Bhattacharya is deeply interested in the interplay between innate immunity and lung health, with a particular focus on uncovering the mechanistic role of innate immune cells in the context of infection-induced inflammation and the maintenance of pulmonary homeostasis. His research aims to bridge fundamental immunology with clinical relevance, exploring how dysregulation of innate immune responses contributes to respiratory diseases.
Over recent years, Dr. Bhattacharya’s work has revealed that NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) plays a crucial role in modulating immune responses in the lung, beyond its traditional function in microbial killing. Specifically, NOX2-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) in alveolar macrophages (AMs) are essential for maintaining lung homeostasis and contribute significantly to pathogen-independent (spontaneous) inflammation, as observed in chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). It has been demonstrated that mutations in NOX2 alter AM phenotype through changes in gene expression and epigenetic regulation (Bhattacharya et al., Blood, 2022). In CGD-related lung inflammation, it was further identified that leukotriene B4 drives early neutrophilic infiltration, while the IL-1β–G-CSF axis sustains and amplifies the inflammatory response (Song et al., 2023; Song, Bhattacharya et al., 2024). Additionally, showed that NOX2 modulates Aspergillus-induced lung inflammation in a cell type–dependent manner (Idol et al., 2022). Beyond CGD he has also explored how NOX2-generated ROS influence human monocyte function, particularly in processes such as efferocytosis.
Recently, Dr. Bhattacharya has joined Dr. Jen Philips’ lab to study how host myeloid cells coordinate inflammatory responses following infection with pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), and how inflammatory metabolites reshape immune cell phenotypes and transcriptomic profiles, thereby influencing downstream immune dynamics.
As an educator and mentor, Dr. Bhattacharya is committed to teaching and training at all levels of scientific education. He has regularly presented at international conferences and served as a guest lecturer at the Department of Sports Science and Yoga, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute in India. Also, he frequently delivers lectures at undergraduate institutions to inspire students to pursue careers in science, and in the lab, actively mentor summer students and support lab technicians in developing their scientific skills and understanding.