The BREATHE - Gestal Lab
Bordetella Research on Eosinophils, Airway Tolerance, Host responses and Exacerbation
LSU Health Science Center at Shreveport

We are at a critical moment for science. Public trust is fragile, and rebuilding it requires clarity, transparency, and engagement. Science is not just a collection of results, it is a process. It evolves. It invites questions. And it serves society.

At the BREATHE Gestal Lab, we combine rigorous research with open communication. Our work is driven by a central hypothesis: successful respiratory pathogens persist because they have evolved mechanisms to suppress or manipulate eosinophil effector functions. Using Bordetella spp. as a model, we discovered that eosinophils are not merely inflammatory cells, they can drive powerful protective adaptive immunity.

To understand how pathogens hijack teosinophil, we integrate spatial microscopy, machine learning, and multidisciplinary -omics with expertise spanning immunology, bacteriology, pharmacy, biochemistry, and cell signaling.

But discovery alone is not enough. I believe science must be accessible, understandable, and accountable. That is why our mission extends beyond the laboratory, into classrooms, communities, and conversations. We study host–pathogen biology not only to advance knowledge, but to strengthen trust and train the next generation to think critically and rigorously.

Science advances when it is conducted with integrity and shared with clarity. That is the foundation of our work.