Many newborns have lung dysfunction at birth due to prematurity or congenital problems. Research in our division focuses on understanding both the normal processes of lung development and the molecular and cellular events that contribute to lung disease. Past research studies in our division played a critical role in the development of surfactant - a life-saving therapy now given to all premature infants with immature lungs – while our present research endeavors strive to help us understand a broad set of pulmonary diseases, including bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, interstitial lung disease, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Researchers in our division investigate the mechanisms underlying normal lung morphogenesis, perinatal adaptation, gene regulation in the lung, pulmonary injury and repair, surfactant proteins and surfactant homeostasis, and the transcriptional pathways of lung development.
For more information, please visit the faculty lab websites listed below and the Division of Pulmonary Biology.
Henry Akinbi, MD |
Lung innate defense, including infection and inflammation |
James Greenberg, MD |
Lung vasculature and lymphatic development & the role of VEGF |
Noah Hillman, MD |
Lung injury and inflammation following chorioamnionitis |
Alan Jobe, MD, PhD |
Newborn lung maturation and lung injury with ventilation |
Suhas Kallapur, MD |
Lung injury and SIRS following chorioamnionitis |
Paul Kingma, MD, PhD |
Surfactant protein D in neonatal sepsis, RDS and ARDS |
Thomas Korfhagen, MD, PhD |
Surfactant proteins, lung inflammation, injury and repair |
Amy Nathan, MD |
Lung-specific immune responses to environmental stimuli |
Ward Rice, MD, PhD |
Molecular and cellular mechanisms of surfactant processing |
Jeffrey Whitsett, MD |
Lung transcriptional control, epithelial patterning and development [Visit the Whitsett Lab.] |