Margaret Alexander, PhD
Position title: Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology
Email: mralexander2@wisc.edu
Website: Lab Website
Phone: 608-265-5200
Address:
Microbial Sciences, 1550 Linden Dr, Madison, WI 53706
Office: 6305

Research Interests
Defining mechanisms by which diet and xenobiotics impact host-microbiota-immune dialogues with consequences for autoimmunity.
Our lab is investigating the impact of diet and xenobiotics on microbiota-immune crosstalk. In previous collaborative studies, we investigated how a common drug used in treatment of autoimmune patients (methotrexate) perturbs the gut microbiome and reduces immune activation in humanized mouse models. We have additionally characterized diet-dependent host and microbial metabolites that mediate a protective effect of a ketogenic diet in mouse models of multiple sclerosis. Using pharmacological interventions of the diet-responsive host metabolite (BHB) and microbial metabolite (indole lactate) we can directly manipulate immune responses driving multiple sclerosis. These studies underscore the importance of host-microbe chemical dialogs for mediating the host response to diet and xenobiotic interventions.
Selected Publications
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=83q9xIYAAAAJ&hl=en