Benjamin P. Hurrell, Ph.D.

Portrait of Dr. Benjamin P. Hurrell

Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Immunology

3143 Meyer Hall | Lab: 3426 Meyer Hall
Education
  • B.S., Biology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
  • M.S., Medical Biology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
  • Ph.D., Immunology and Cancer, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Research Interests

Dr. Hurrell’s lab explores the dynamic interplay between nutrition, metabolism, and immune regulation, focusing on how specific nutrients and metabolic pathways influence the development and function of immune cells in both health and disease, particularly asthma and allergy. Utilizing a variety of cutting-edge mouse models, including genetically engineered strains, specialized diets, and established asthma models, his team investigates the impact of dietary factors on immune responses and asthma pathogenesis. By applying techniques such as flow cytometry, transcriptomics, and metabolomics to profile immune cell populations and their metabolic states, the lab aims to identify innovative dietary strategies that can modulate immune function and improve lung health.

Selected Publications

Please click here for a complete and updated list of publications.

Sakano Y, Sakano K, Hurrell B.P., Kazemi MH, Li X, Shen S, Akbari O. ICOS regulates IL-10 production in group 2 innate lymphoid cells via cholesterol and cortisol biosynthesis. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40627441/ Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2025.

Kazemi MH, Momeni-Varposhti Z, Li X, Hurrell B.P., Sakano Y, Shen S, Shafiei-Jahani P, Sakano K, Akbari O. FOXO1 pathway activation by VISTA immune checkpoint restrains pulmonary ILC2 functions. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39745792/ Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2025.

Hurrell B.P., Sakano Y, Shen S, Helou DG, Li M, Shafiei-Jahani P, Kazemi MH, Sakano K, Li X, Quach C, Barbers R, Akbari O. Iron controls the development of airway hyperreactivity by regulating ILC2 metabolism and effector function https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38718131/. Science Translational Medicine. 2024.

Hurrell B.P., Shen S., Li X., Sakano Y., Kazemi MH, Shafiei-Jahani P., Sakano K. Ghiasi H., Akbari O. Piezo1 Channels Restrain ILC2s and Regulate the Development of Airway Hyperreactivity https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38530239/. Journal of Experimental Medicine. 2024.

Howard E, Hurrell B.P., Helou DG, Shafiei-Jahani P, Hasiakos S, Painter J, Srikanth S, Gwack Y, Akbari O. Orai inhibition modulates pulmonary ILC2 metabolism and alleviates airway hyperreactivity in murine and humanized models https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37752127/. Nature Communications. 2023.

Hurrell B.P., Helou D.G., Howard E., Painter J.D., Shafiei-Jahani P., Sharpe A.H., Akbari O. PD-L2 controls peripherally induced regulatory T cells by maintaining metabolic activity and Foxp3 stability https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36045140/. Nature Communications. 2022.

Hurrell B.P., Helou D.G., Shafiei-Jahani P., Howard E., Painter J.D., Quach C., Akbari O. Cannabinoid receptor 2 engagement promotes group 2 innate lymphoid cell expansion and enhances airway hyperreactivity https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34673048/. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2022.

Hurrell B.P., Howard E., Galle-Treger L., Helou D.G., Shafiei-Jahani P., Painter J., Akbari O. Distinct roles of LFA-1 and ICAM-1 on ILC2s control lung infiltration, effector functions and development of AHR https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33193309/. Frontiers in Immunology. 2020.

Helou DG, Shafiei-Jahani P, Lo R, Howard E, Hurrell B.P., Galle-Treger L, Painter JD, Lewis G, Soroosh P, Sharpe AH, Akbari O. PD-1 pathway regulates ILC2 metabolism and PD-1 agonist treatment ameliorates airway hyperreactivity https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32778730/. Nature Communications. 2020.

Han Y., Jia Q., Shafiei-Jahani P., Hurrell B.P., Pan C, Huang P., Gukasyan J., Woodward N.C., Eskin E., Gilliland F., Akbari O., Hartiala J.A., Allayee H. Large-scale Genetic Analysis Identifies 66 Novel Loci for Asthma https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32296059/. Nature Communications. 2020.

Hurrell B.P, Galle-Treger L., Shafiei-Jahani P., Howard E., Helou D.G., Banie H., Soroosh P., Akbari O. TNFR2 Signaling Enhances ILC2 Survival, Function, and Induction of Airway Hyperreactivity https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31875557/. Cell Reports. 2019.