Chaitanya Dende

Dr. Chaitanya Dende is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Immunology at UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) and Director of the Flow Cytometry Core. His research focuses on environmental factors influencing immune function, particularly dietary vitamin A and circadian rhythms, and their impact on gut barrier integrity and mucosal immunity. He examines the crosstalk between macrophages and epithelial cells to understand mechanisms regulating gut permeability and tissue homeostasis.

Dr. Dende earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore (2016), under Prof. Govindarajan Padmanaban, studying immune responses to malaria. He completed postdoctoral training at UTSW with Lora Hooper, investigating retinoic acid receptor signaling in gut immunity.

As Flow Cytometry Core Director, he provides advanced analytical support for mucosal and systemic immunology studies, specializing in lymphoid/myeloid cell biology. His work aims to develop therapies for autoimmune disorders and enteric diseases through insights into macrophage regulation and environmental signaling pathways.