Dr. Di Nardo's career has been focused on understanding the skin's innate immune system and translating this knowledge into clinical applications. Her laboratory focus has been to establish the role of mast cells in the skin's innate immune system. The lab interests range from the interaction of mast cells with group A Streptococcus to Vaccinia virus and mast cells interactions. More broadly the lab focuses on the influence of pathogens and commensals on mast cell phenotypes with the long-term goal of demonstrating that mast cell and bacteria interactions are the key to control skin inflammation. The control of skin inflammation is also part of the lab interest in Rosacea. Because the control of inflammation is mediated by the mast cell release of interleukins, the lab is also studying how the TLRs – bacteria interaction can modify mast cell production of interleukins and the possible intracellular second mediators.