Posts by Caroline L. Sokol, MD, PhD
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New Targets Discovered for Allergy Drug Development
Massachusetts General Hospital researchers have discovered that sensory neurons and substance P, a neuropeptide, are essential parts of the innate immune system's response to allergens, a breakthrough in the prospect of developing new allergy drugs.
Biography
Dr. Sokol received her BA and MS degrees in 2001 from the University of Pennsylvania. This was followed by her MD/PhD in 2009 from Yale University where she studied how the immune system recognized and responded to allergens under the mentorship of Dr. Ruslan Medzhitov. Her research in the field ignited her interest in clinical Allergy & Immunology and Dr. Sokol came to Massachusetts General Hospital to perform her clinical training in Internal Medicine and Allergy & Immunology.
In 2013 Dr. Sokol became a board-certified Allergist & Immunologist and attending physician in Massachusetts General Hospital’s Allergy and Clinical Immunology Unit. She has continued to focus on research, studying the role of the innate immune system in recognizing and responding to allergens as a post-doctoral fellow with Dr. Andrew Luster and now in her own independent laboratory. As a physician-scientist, she seeks to understand how and why the immune system responds to allergens with the overall goal of developing new therapies to treat and prevent allergic disease.
Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology
The Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology at Massachusetts General Hospital provides leading-edge treatment and transformative care to patients with rheumatic disease and autoimmune conditions.