University of Pennsylvania · BiologyHenao-Mejia Lab
Jorge Henao-Mejia · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Research Focus
Dr. Jorge Henao-Mejia's lab at the University of Pennsylvania focuses on understanding how early life exposures, particularly to glucocorticoids (stress hormones), influence the immune system and its response to diseases. They investigate how these exposures can reshape immune cells like monocytes and macrophages, linking them to conditions such as obesity, diabetes, allergies, and cancer. The lab employs advanced methods including genomics and single-cell analysis to uncover the mechanisms by which these changes happen and their implications for health.
glucocorticoidsmonocytemacrophageinflammationearly-life exposurecancer immunologyimmune checkpointepigeneticssingle-cell RNA sequencing
Research Aims
4AIM 01Investigate how glucocorticoids regulate monocyte populations in response to early-life psychological stress.
AIM 02Elucidate the effects of early-life diet-induced obesity on macrophage differentiation in adipose tissue.
AIM 03Explore the mechanisms by which immune checkpoints influence tumor-associated macrophages in cancer.
AIM 04Determine how chronic glucocorticoid signaling leads to long-term changes in myeloid cell function.
Skills the Lab Values
genomic sequencingcell culturemouse modelssingle-cell RNA sequencingflow cytometrymetabolomicsmolecular modelingimmunological assaystranscriptomics
Output against the department
Publications85bottom 27% of dept.751st of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations11ktop 35% of dept.366th of 1,033
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.