Benaroya Research Institute · Seattle, WA

Harrison Lab

We study how adaptive immune responses are induced and regulated in barrier tissues — including commensal-specific T and B cell responses, immunity to helminths, and how dysregulated barrier immunity contributes to inflammatory bowel disease and autoimmunity.

Harrison Lab team
Research

Adaptive immunity at barrier surfaces

As humans, we co-exist with a vast ecosystem of microbes at our barrier surfaces, including the skin and gastrointestinal tract. These commensal microbes are critical for our health — providing resistance to pathogens, aiding digestion, and educating our immune systems. Yet how the adaptive immune system specifically recognizes and responds to commensals remains poorly understood.

We study how commensal-specific T and B cells are induced in barrier tissues, how they maintain homeostasis, and how antigen-specific tools — including phage display and B cell tetramers — can be used to track and characterize these responses. Our goal is to understand how commensal-specific immunity can be harnessed to treat chronic inflammatory barrier tissue disorders.

Key publications

Olsen TM et al. Coincident epithelial signals restrain commensal-specific CD8αβ+ T cells in the intestine. bioRxiv 2026
Verma S et al. Antigen-level resolution of commensal-specific B cell responses enabled by phage display screening coupled with B cell tetramers. Immunity 2024
Harrison OJ et al. Commensal-specific T cell plasticity promotes rapid tissue adaptation to injury. Science 2019

Helminths are ancient parasites that have co-evolved with the mammalian immune system, driving the development of type 2 immunity. Tissue-resident T cells and ILC2s can act as sentinels in barrier tissues, lying dormant for extended periods yet able to mount rapid responses upon parasitic challenge or tissue injury.

We are working to understand how helminth-specific adaptive immune responses are induced and regulated, how tissue-resident lymphocytes adopt a poised transcriptional state that enables rapid effector responses, and how these mechanisms promote tissue repair — or, when dysregulated, contribute to fibrosis and chronic inflammation.

Key publications

Labuda JC et al. Hypoxia-inducible factor 2α promotes protective Th2 cell responses during intestinal helminth infection. J Immunol 2025
Westfall S et al. A type 1 immune-stromal cell network mediates disease tolerance against intestinal infection. Cell 2025
Harrison OJ et al. Commensal-specific T cell plasticity promotes rapid tissue adaptation to injury. Science 2019

Inflammatory bowel disease and related autoimmune conditions arise when barrier immunity is dysregulated — with loss of tolerance to commensal microbes, breakdown of epithelial integrity, and generation of pathogenic autoantibodies. Understanding how these responses go wrong is essential for developing better therapies.

We are investigating how IBD-associated genetic variants impact colitogenic T cell function, how autoantibodies targeting epithelial integrins such as αvβ6 disrupt mucosal TGFβ activation and predispose to intestinal inflammation, and how dysregulated commensal-specific B cell responses contribute to disease pathogenesis.

Key publications

Verma S, Harrison OJ. A fast way to lose antibodies. Immunity 2026
Verma S et al. Identification of immunogenic commensal antigens using phage display. Nat Protoc 2026
Team

People

Dr. Oliver J. Harrison
Principal Investigator
Dr. Oliver J. Harrison
Dr. Sheenam Verma
Post-doctoral fellow
Dr. Sheenam Verma
Dr. Hannah Kalinoski
Post-doctoral fellow
Dr. Hannah Kalinoski
Tayla Olsen
Graduate student
Tayla Olsen
Sarah Pemberton
Graduate student
Sarah Pemberton
Addie Gralen
Research technician
Addie Gralen
Hunter Raquet-Esquela
Lab aide
Hunter Raquet-Esquela

Alumni

  • Jasmine Labuda — Postdoctoral fellow
  • Sam Kimmel — Research technician
  • Des Thomaier — Research technician
Publications

Selected publications

Coincident epithelial signals restrain commensal-specific CD8αβ+ T cells in the intestine
Olsen TM, Pemberton S, Harrison OJ  Preprint bioRxiv · 2026  PDF
UC-associated autoantibodies to αvβ6 inhibit mucosal TGFβ activation and predispose to intestinal inflammation
Fasano KJ, Kalinoski H, Harrison OJ et al.  Preprint bioRxiv · 2026  PDF
A fast way to lose antibodies
Verma S, Harrison OJ  Preview Immunity · 2026  PDF
Identification of immunogenic commensal antigens using phage display
Verma S et al.  Protocol Nature Protocols · 2026  PDF
Hypoxia-inducible factor 2α promotes protective Th2 cell responses during intestinal helminth infection
Labuda JC et al.  Research Journal of Immunology · 2025  PDF
A type 1 immune-stromal cell network mediates disease tolerance against intestinal infection
Westfall S et al.  Research Cell · 2025  PDF
Antigen-level resolution of commensal-specific B cell responses enabled by phage display screening coupled with B cell tetramers
Verma S et al.  Research Immunity · 2024  PDF
Prenatal maternal infection promotes tissue-specific immunity and inflammation in offspring
Lim AI et al.  Research Science · 2021  PDF
Commensal T cells and barriers
Harrison OJ, Powrie FM  Review Mucosal Immunology · 2021  PDF
Commensal microbiota modulation of natural killer cell homeostasis and function
Fonseca DM et al.  Research Cell · 2020  PDF
Commensal-specific T cell plasticity promotes rapid tissue adaptation to injury
Harrison OJ et al.  Research Science · 2019  PDF
Non-classical immunity controls microbiota impact on skin immunity and tissue repair
Linehan JL, Harrison OJ et al.  Research Cell · 2018  PDF
Commensal microbiota-induced redox signaling activates proliferative signals in the intestinal stem cell microenvironment
Bhattacharjee A et al.  Research Immunity · 2018  PDF
Hematopoietic stem cell-independent origins of innate-like B cells
Xu J et al.  Research Nature · 2017  PDF
Skin microbiota-dependent CD8 T cell mediated immunity against Staphylococcus aureus
Naik S et al.  Research Nature · 2017  PDF
Critical role of fatty acid metabolism in ILC2-mediated barrier protection during malnutrition and helminth infection
Wilhelm C, Harrison OJ et al.  Research Journal of Experimental Medicine · 2016  PDF
Epithelial cell-derived nutrients assist B lymphopoiesis in the microenvironment of bone marrow
Kulalert W et al.  Research PNAS · 2016  PDF
Skin colonization by Staphylococcus aureus in patients with eczema and atopic dermatitis
Tamoutounour S et al.  Research PNAS · 2016  PDF
Commensal bacteria calibrate the activation threshold of innate antiviral immunity
Schiering C et al.  Research Nature · 2016  PDF
Fumarate is an antiinflammatory signal
Hurabielle C et al.  Research PNAS · 2015  PDF
The intestinal microbiota modulates the anticancer immune effects of cyclophosphamide
Hackstein CP et al.  Research Nature Communications · 2015  PDF
The microbiome in infectious disease and inflammation
Belkaid Y, Harrison OJ  Review Immunity · 2015  PDF
Type 1 interferons enable cross-talk between innate and adaptive immunity
Break TJ et al.  Research Science · 2014  PDF
Commensal skin microbiota exerts lymphocyte-independent immunoprotective effects
Harrison OJ, Powrie FM  Essay Science · 2013  PDF
Type I diabetes genes and pathways shared by populations of Northern European and East Asian descent
Buckner J, Harrison OJ et al.  Research Genes & Immunity · 2013  PDF
News

Updates from the lab

New member

Welcome Sarah Pemberton!

May 2025

Sarah joined the lab as a CMB T32 graduate student studying regulation of commensal-specific immunity during pathogen infection.

Join Us

Join the lab

Open positions

We are currently seeking to recruit motivated postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and research staff to join the lab. We are particularly interested in candidates with a passion for adaptive immunity, the microbiota, helminths, host–microbe interactions, or autoimmunity. If you would like to join us, please email Ollie directly with your CV and a brief description of your research interests.

Contact

Get in touch

Email

oharrison [at] benaroyaresearch [dot] org

Address

Harrison Lab
Benaroya Research Institute
Seattle, WA, USA

Funding & Support