Isabella Rauch

Dr. Isabella Rauch is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at Oregon Health and Science University. She leads an independent lab studying epithelial responses to pathogen infection, focusing on inflammasome activation in tuft cells, cell extrusion mechanics, and pathogen evasion strategies. Her research employs genetic mouse models and stem cell-derived organoids.

Education: PhD (2008) and MSc (2005) from the University of Salzburg, Austria. Postdoctoral training at the University of Vienna and UC Berkeley, supported by an Erwin-Schrödinger fellowship. Awards include the Austrian Scientists Award and UC Berkeley’s Outstanding Postdoc Award for work on inflammasome-driven epithelial cell extrusion.

Key research areas include: inflammasome biology, intestinal immunity, microbial pathogenesis, and host-microbiota interactions. Her lab explores how epithelial cells sense pathogens, coordinate immune responses, and combat infections like Salmonella and Shigella.

Major findings include: PGD2-CRTH2 signaling in regulating Type 2 immune responses, NAIP/NLRC4 inflammasome roles in Salmonella restriction, and IRF6-driven epithelial development. Recent work highlights tuft cells as critical sensors of enteric pathogens.

Awards: Austrian Scientists and Scholars in the Americas Award, UC Berkeley Outstanding Postdoc Award.

Lab activities focus on combining in vivo and in vitro models to dissect epithelial innate immune mechanisms. Ongoing projects investigate pathogen effector proteins inhibiting inflammasome responses and tuft cell-specific signaling pathways.