University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus · Microbiology & ImmunologyGottschalk Lab
Rachel A Gottschalk · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Research Focus
Rachel Gottschalk's lab at the University of Pittsburgh focuses on understanding how immune cells in the lungs, specifically alveolar macrophages, function during both health and infection. The lab investigates how signaling molecules in the lung environment influence the behavior of these immune cells, which can help improve treatments for infections and chronic lung diseases. By studying specific genes and signaling pathways, the research aims to shed light on how to better control inflammation and immune responses in the lungs.
alveolar macrophagescytokine signalinglung infectionimmunologymacrophage functionanti-inflammatory responsesbacterial pneumonialung homeostasiscell signalingmetabolism
Research Aims
4AIM 01Investigate how steady-state cytokines influence macrophage metabolism.
AIM 02Identify the role of the CISH-GATA2 pathway in macrophage responses during lung infections.
AIM 03Examine the balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory signals in alveolar macrophages.
AIM 04Determine the effects of metabolic programming on immune function in the lungs.
Skills the Lab Values
cell cultureinflammation assaysmolecular cloningwhole blood assaysflow cytometrygene expression analysisimmunofluorescence microscopybioinformaticsexperimental designanimal models
Output against the department
Publications67bottom 19% of dept.392nd of 486
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations2.6kbottom 16% of dept.406th of 486
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.