Eric Brown, Ph.D., Pediatric Translational Research Branch, NIAMS

Contact Information

Summary

Eric Brown, Ph.D., obtained his B.Sc. from Guelph University in Canada, majoring in microbiology. He received his Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia in the lab of Dr. Brett Finlay, where he studied gut microbiome-immune interactions in disease.

Dr. Brown completed his postdoctoral training at Harvard University's Broad Institute under the mentorship of Dr. Ramnik Xavier. He led research projects on the role of microbe-immune interactions in inflammatory bowel diseases. Dr. Brown became a research scientist at the Broad Institute and an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, where he began to study interactions between microbes, immunity, and genetic risk factors for axial spondyloarthritis.

This work brought him to NIAMS, where he works in Dr. Robert Colbert's lab.

Research Statement

Dr. Brown's current research focuses on discovering novel new mechanisms of how HLA-B27 may confer risk to the development of axial spondyloarthritis. Specifically, he is focused on the interaction between non-coding RNA and HLA-B27 function and the role of HLA-B27 in mitochondrial metabolism. He is also pursuing research to understand how microbe-immune interactions could influence HLA-B27 function.

Scientific Publications

Emerging biochemical, microbial and immunological evidence in the search for why HLA-B(∗)27 confers risk for spondyloarthritis.

Brown EM, Nguyen PNU, Xavier RJ

Cell Chem Biol.

2025 Jan 16;

32(1).

doi: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2024.07.012

PMID: 39168118

Gut microbiome lipid metabolism and its impact on host physiology.

Brown EM, Clardy J, Xavier RJ

Cell Host Microbe.

2023 Feb 8;

31(2).

doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.01.009

PMID: 36758518

The CD4(+) T cell response to a commensal-derived epitope transitions from a tolerant to an inflammatory state in Crohn's disease.

Pedersen TK, Brown EM, Plichta DR, Johansen J, Twardus SW, Delorey TM, Lau H, Vlamakis H, Moon JJ, Xavier RJ, Graham DB

Immunity.

2022 Oct 11;

55(10).

doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2022.08.016

PMID: 36115338

Gut microbiome ADP-ribosyltransferases are widespread phage-encoded fitness factors.

Brown EM, Arellano-Santoyo H, Temple ER, Costliow ZA, Pichaud M, Hall AB, Liu K, Durney MA, Gu X, Plichta DR, Clish CA, Porter JA, Vlamakis H, Xavier RJ

Cell Host Microbe.

2021 Sep 8;

29(9).

doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2021.07.011

PMID: 34403684

Bacteroides-Derived Sphingolipids Are Critical for Maintaining Intestinal Homeostasis and Symbiosis.

Brown EM, Ke X, Hitchcock D, Jeanfavre S, Avila-Pacheco J, Nakata T, Arthur TD, Fornelos N, Heim C, Franzosa EA, Watson N, Huttenhower C, Haiser HJ, Dillow G, Graham DB, Finlay BB, Kostic AD, Porter JA, Vlamakis H, Clish CB, Xavier RJ

Cell Host Microbe.

2019 May 8;

25(5).

doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2019.04.002

PMID: 31071294

Gut Microbiota Regulation of T Cells During Inflammation and Autoimmunity.

Brown EM, Kenny DJ, Xavier RJ

Annu Rev Immunol.

2019 Apr 26;

37().

doi: 10.1146/annurev-immunol-042718-041841

PMID: 31026411

Education

University of British Columbia
Ph.D. Microbiology and Immunology (2011-2017)

University of Guelph
B.Sc. in Microbiology (2006-2010)

Experience

Instructor in Medicine
Harvard Medical School (2020-2024)

Research Scientist
Broad Institute (2020-2024)

Postdoctoral Fellow
Broad Institute (2017-2020)