As a 2025 Schmidt Science Fellow, Julie plans to study how the brain controls the immune system through the placebo effect, which could lead to new treatments for allergic and autoimmune diseases.
The placebo effect, where a fake pill can help heal a wound, involves interactions between the brain and immune system and promises to be an extremely cost-effective way to enhance treatment for many diseases.
Julie aims to recreate the placebo effect in mice, where it can be standardized and measured. Julie will record and manipulate parts of the brain and immune system, to unlock the detailed mechanism behind the placebo effect.
Julie will pivot from Neuroscience to Immunology