Scholarly, Research, and/or Practice Interests
My research has broadly focused on the role of the immune system in a variety of diseases including transplant rejection, cancer, and neurological disease. I am interested in the interactions between the immune system and other body systems in the context of both health and disease with a particular interest in neuroimmunology, mucosal immunology, and the gut-brain axis. As a lecturer, my interests lie in pedagogical approaches to teaching physiology from a function-focused, systems-wide perspective rather than an organ-specific perspective.
Courses Taught
SAR HS341: Physiology Across the Lifespan
In this course we will explore physiological aspects of fetal development, birth, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and aging. Topics explored will include: bone and muscle development, physiology of common childhood diseases, the role of exercise and inactivity on bone, muscle and organ function, impact of stress across the lifespan, and the changes that occur during aging. (Credits: 4)
SAR HS410: Field Experience: Human Physiology
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing and consent of instructor - The focus of this internship course is to provide the student with an experience that is different from the classroom in which the student can apply much of the knowledge gained in previous class work. Exposure to a hospital setting, research laboratory, clinical environment and direct patient contact are within the realm of available experiences. The internship will provide the student a stronger sense of the careers available in the health professions while providing valuable first-hand experience. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community. (Credits: Var)
SAR HS455: Immunopathology
This course will cover general principles of immunity including the cellular and humoral components of the human immune system and their interactions during different types of immune responses. We will discuss immune development with an emphasis on the formation of tolerance mechanisms and the role of host-microbiome interactions in development and homeostasis. This course will then primarily focus on the mechanisms by which tolerance mechanisms are subverted or exploited to contribute to pathologies such as infections, primary and secondary immunocompromisation, allergic responses, autoimmunity, cancer, and age-associated disorders such as neurodegeneration. (Credits: 4)
SAR HS465: Historical and Physiological Perspectives on Organ Transplantation
This class will cover the physiology underlying organ transplantation with a focus on immunology as it pertains to transplant rejection, as well as surgical and immunological approaches for maintaining graft tolerance. Furthermore, students will learn how both Western and non-Western historical events and ethical perspectives have played a large role in driving the evolution of the field from ancient folklore to modern medicine. (Credits: 4)
SAR HS541: Physiology Across the Lifespan
In this course we will explore physiological aspects of fetal development, birth, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and aging. Topics explored will include: bone and muscle development, physiology of common childhood diseases, the role of exercise and inactivity on bone, muscle and organ function, impact of stress across the lifespan, and the changes that occur during aging. (Credits: 4)
SAR HS555: Immunopathology
This course will cover general principles of immunity including the cellular and humoral components of the human immune system and their interactions during different types of immune responses. We will discuss immune development with an emphasis on the formation of tolerance mechanisms and the role of host-microbiome interactions in development and homeostasis. This course will then primarily focus on the mechanisms by which tolerance mechanisms are subverted or exploited to contribute to pathologies such as infections, primary and secondary immunocompromisation, allergic responses, autoimmunity, cancer, and age-associated disorders such as neurodegeneration. (Credits: 4)
SAR HS665: Historical and Physiological Perspectives on Organ Transplantation
This class will cover the physiology underlying organ transplantation with a focus on immunology as it pertains to transplant rejection, as well as surgical and immunological approaches for maintaining graft tolerance. Furthermore, students will learn how both Western and non-Western historical events and ethical perspectives have played a large role in driving the evolution of the field from ancient folklore to modern medicine. (Credits: 4)
SAR HS750: The Physiologist's Toolbox
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Course in biology, cell biology or physiology, and consent of instruct or. Master and doctoral students only. - This course will cover the skills beyond benchwork that are necessary to be a competitive physiologist. The classes will be a mix of didactic information and group discussion. Methodological issues covered will include study design, techniques used, interpretation of research findings and the process of peer reviewed publication. Practical experience in grant writing and scientific seminar presentation will be included. Students completing this course will understand the principles underlying preparation and publication of scientific manuscripts, grants and seminars and will be able to apply these principles as they read the scientific literature and participate in research projects related to thesis work. (Credits: 2)
Publications
Choo BKM, Barnes S, Sive H. A Hypothesis: Metabolic Contributions to 16p11.2 Deletion Syndrome. Bioessays. 2025 Mar;47(3):e202400177. doi: 10.1002/bies.202400177. Epub 2024 Dec 29. PMID: 39988938; PMCID: PMC11848116.
Sarah E. Barnes, Kristy A. Zera, Geoffrey T. Ivison, Marion S. Buckwalter, Edgar G. Engleman. Brain profiling in murine colitis and human epilepsy reveals neutrophils and TNFα as mediators of neuronal hyperexcitability. J Neuroinflammation, 18(1): 199; (2021). DOI: 10.1186/s12974-021-02262-4
Sarah E. Barnes, May H. Han. CD317 puts the brakes on dendritic cell trafficking to the CNS. PNAS, 118(18): e2104740118; (2021). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2104740118
César Evaristo, Stefani Spranger, Sarah E. Barnes, Michelle L. Miller, Luciana L. Molinero, Frederick Locke, Thomas F. Gajewski, Maria-Luisa Alegre. Cutting Edge: Engineering Active IKKβ in T Cells Promotes Tumor Rejection. Journal of Immunology, 196(7): 2933-2938 (2016). DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1501144
Melissa Hui Yen Chng, Michael N. Alonso, Sarah E. Barnes, Khoa D. Nguyen, Edgar G. Engleman. Adaptive Immunity and Antigen-Specific Activation in Obesity-Associated Insulin Resistance. Mediators of Inflammation, 2015: 593075 (2015). DOI: 10.1155/2015/593075
Sarah E. Barnes, Ying Wang, Luqiu Chen, Luciana L. Molinero, Thomas F. Gajewski, César Evaristo, Maria-Luisa Alegre. T Cell-NF-κB Activation is Required for Tumor Control in vivo. Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer, 3(1): 1-11 (2015). DOI: 10.1186/s40425-014-0045-x
