Current interests are focused on the role of blood-brain barrier in the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are the two major disease entities of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). These two conditions are histopathologically and anatomically distinct, as Crohn’s disease is characterized by transmural inflammation that can occur throughout the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and ulcerative colitis is characterized by more superficial inflammation confined to the colon and rectum. Despite these differences, compelling evidence generated from studies of human patients and experimental models indicate that both disorders are dependent upon factors present within the complex intestinal microbiota. However, how microbiota regulates chronic intestinal inflammation is still not completely understood. Dr. Cong’s research focuses on host immune response to microbiota and the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), specifically on how T cell, B cell and dendritic cell response to microbiota, how microbiota regulates mucosal immune system, and the role of this interplay in the pathogenesis of IBD, and also the development of mucosal adjuvants.