Dr. Sean Monaghan’s research attempts to understand why some critically ill patients get better and others do not by interrogating mechanisms of immune dysfunction.

As a resident under the mentorship of Dr. Ayala, Dr. Monaghan's research initially focused on the immune modulating protein PD-1 and its role in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).  Now, the focus of his laboratory is on the role of alternative splicing in critical illness, particularly as it relates to the immune modulating proteins (PD-1, BTLA, CTLA-4)