Peter Mancuso

Peter Mancuso is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, with additional faculty membership in the Graduate Program in Immunology. His research program bridges nutritional sciences and immunology to investigate how metabolic conditions like obesity and diabetes impair host defense against infections, particularly respiratory infections.

Dr. Mancuso earned his BS from Purdue University in 1985, followed by an MS in 1987 and PhD in 1996, both from the University of Tennessee. His educational background provided the foundation for his interdisciplinary research approach that combines nutritional science with immunology and infectious disease.

His research focuses on the impact of obesity and diabetes on pulmonary infections and systemic inflammation in chronic disease. Dr. Mancuso's laboratory has used lung macrophages, leukocytes, and serum from rodents and humans to study intracellular signaling events, inflammatory mediator synthesis, glucose transport, bactericidal function, and disease outcomes, particularly in midlife women. A significant portion of his work examines the role of leptin and other adipokines on host defense functions in pulmonary immune cells.

Analysis of Dr. Mancuso's recent publications reveals a consistent research trajectory examining how metabolic conditions like obesity impair immune function, particularly against respiratory pathogens. His work spans basic science investigations of cellular and molecular mechanisms to population-based studies examining adipokines as biomarkers for chronic disease risk. A notable theme across his publications is the exploration of how metabolic dysregulation in obesity affects specific immune cell functions, particularly neutrophils and alveolar macrophages, and how these changes increase susceptibility to infections including pneumonia and potentially severe outcomes from respiratory viruses like influenza and SARS-CoV-2.

Dr. Mancuso teaches several graduate-level courses including Nutrition and the Immune Response (NUTR625), Pathophysiology of Obesity (NUTR639), and Physical Activity and Nutrition (NUTR651). He also contributes to the Special Topics in Nutritional Sciences course (NUTR796), exposing students to cutting-edge research at the intersection of nutrition, immunology, and infectious disease.