Eliseo F. Castillo, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (Department of Internal Medicine). Dr. Castillo received his Ph.D. in Immunology from The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center under Dr. Kimberly Schluns deciphering the role of IL-15 in NK cell and iNKT cell biology. He then did a postdoctoral fellowship at UNM HSC under Dr. Vojo Deretic determining the function of the autophagy gene, Atg5, in balancing infection and inflammation. In 2017, he started his lab as a CTSC KL2 Scholar focusing on understanding the pathways, cells and molecules that regulate the balance between intestinal homeostasis and dysregulation in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. His lab has a strong interest in diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Additionally, the lab is interested in understanding the impact of environmental pollutants, such as microplastics and heavy metals, on GI health. Recently published work from his lab showed how Atg5 in intestinal macrophages controls IL-12 secretion and intestinal homeostasis (https://academic.oup.com/ecco-jcc/article/16/2/259/6347382?login=true). Additionally, the lab recently reported how microplastics alter the cellular metabolism of macrophages (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10565-021-09616-x).