Dr. Jeffrey Whitsett’s laboratory makes extensive use of conditional gene targeting in transgenic mice, bioinformatics, physiology, and biochemistry in the study of lung formation and function. Transgenic mice models are being utilized to understand the pathogenesis of genetic and inflammatory lung disorders and to develop new therapies for respiratory disease. Conditional systems for gene targeting and addition have been developed for study of lung formation and function, as well as for identifying lung progenitor cells and their fates in the mouse.
Currently, Dr. Whitsett’s laboratory seeks to:
- Elucidate the hierarchy of transcription and signaling networks that produce the differentiated epithelial cells lining the developing and mature respiratory tract
- Determine mechanisms controlling cell-specific gene transcription governing lung epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation related to the pathogenesis of acute and chronic lung disorders, including respiratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, pulmonary fibrosis, disorders of surfactant homeostasis (figure 1), asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis (CF)
- Assess mechanisms controlling surfactant homeostasis at the cellular and molecular level
Publications
Dr. Whitsett is the author of more than 400 papers in basic science and clinical literature. View representative publications.
Contact Dr. Whitsett
Jeffrey A. Whitsett, MD
Division of Pulmonary Biology
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
3333 Burnet Ave. | Cincinnati, OH 45229-3039
jeff.whitsett@cchmc.org
(513) 803-2790 phone
