WoodLab - Lab for Systems Biology of Inflammation


Education

  • Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012
  • M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008
  • M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008
  • B.S., Oregon State University, 2004

Teaching Interests

Professor Wood’s teaching interests include core mechanical engineering courses that emphasize foundational concepts in mechanics and machine learning. He is committed to integrating interdisciplinary approaches in both undergraduate and graduate education. His instruction aims to prepare students for advanced study and professional practice through a strong foundations and practical examples.

Research Interests

Professor Wood’s research focuses on applying systems analysis approaches and engineering tools to identify novel clinical therapeutic targets for Alzheimer's disease and traumatic brain injury. By combining novel engineered in vitro platforms, in vivo models, and multivariate machine learning approaches, we will be able to 1) capture a holistic systems-level understanding of these complex diseases and 2) isolate specific mechanisms driving each disease. The ultimate goal of Professor Wood’s laboratory is to use these tools to identify new mechanisms driving disease onset and progression that will translate to clinically effective therapeutic strategies.

Recent Publications

  • Bitarafan S, Tobin B, Espinosa-Garcia C, Rangaraju S, Wood LB. Direct quantification of cell type-specific proteins using Luminex assays with TurboID-labeled cells and tissues. Methods Cell Biol. 2026;200:89-103. doi: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2025.03.001. Epub 2025 Apr 25. PMID: 41276355.
  • Li C, Griffin MN, Triplett SE, Silverio AE, Pettit E, Rohrer AM, Callaway JP, Munagapati PV, Saah PF Jr, Sanz PI, Rivera Moctezuma FG, Holberton A, Gomez A, Buckley EM, Wood LB. Inhibition of p38 MAPK after repetitive mTBI ameliorates immune signaling and functional deficits. Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2026 Jan 30. doi: 10.1186/s40478-026-02226-w. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41618372.
  • Wood LB, Singer AC. Neurons as Immunomodulators: From Rapid Neural Activity to Prolonged Regulation of Cytokines and Microglia. Annu Rev Biomed Eng. 2025 May;27(1):55-72. doi: 10.1146/annurev-bioeng-110122-120158. Epub 2025 Jan 13. PMID: 39805040; PMCID: PMC12486157.
  • Bitarafan S, Pybus AF, Rivera Moctezuma FG, Adibi M, Franklin TC, Singer AC, Wood LB. Frequency and duration of sensory flicker control transcriptional profiles in 5xFAD mice. APL Bioeng. 2025 Jul 8;9(3):036102. doi: 10.1063/5.0261497. PMID: 40642323; PMCID: PMC12240601.
  • Tobin BR, Misko A, Miller-Browne V, Sangster M, Grishchuk Y, Wood LB. Exploring human plasma proteomic variations in mucolipidosis type IV. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev. 2025 Apr 24;33(2):101479. doi: 10.1016/j.omtm.2025.101479. PMID: 40486934; PMCID: PMC12141561.