Varisco Lab Research
The alveolus is the gas-exchanging unit of the lung and is necessary for the absorption of oxygen and elimination of carbon dioxide. Impaired alveolar development (IAD) commonly occurs following premature birth and can lead to chronic lung disease (CLD, formerly known as bronchopulmonary dysplasia). Our laboratory is interested in understanding the mechanisms of normal alveolar development, how they are dysregulated in IAD, and how manipulation of critical processes in alveolar development might be able to improve lung function in CLD.
Our laboratory is focused on how matrix remodeling regulates alveolar development and how matrix and matrix proteases alter vasculogenesis in the developing lung. Certain matrix metaloproteinases have been shown important in alveolar development, but we have found that a serine protease, chymotrypsin-like elastase 1, is expressed in the lung, co-localizes with areas of elastase activity, and may be important in alveolar development. Impaired pulmonary vascular and microvascular development accompanies IAD, and elastin peptides have been found to stimulate pulmonary vascular development. We are investigating the role that chymotrypsin-like elastase 1 may play in pulmonary microvascular development.
