A Monthly Deep-Dive on Fibroblast Biology
Internationally Recognized in Lung Fibroblast Biology and Nomenclature
With over a decade of research focused on PDGFRα-expressing fibroblasts in lung development, injury, and regeneration, I’ve built a recognized track record in the fibroblast field.
My work weaves together single-cell sequencing, lineage tracing, and integrative analysis of the literature to define and refine our understanding of fibroblast populations. This expertise has contributed to the field’s evolving nomenclature and is reflected in two widely cited review articles.
Riccetti et al., Journal of Matrix Biology (PMID: 3244260)
Ushakumary et al., Stem Cells Translational Medicine (PMID: 33624948)
What is Fibroblast Thursday?
Fibroblasts: it’s complicated.
These shape-shifting, matrix-meddling cells are central to development, disease, and everything in between—and they’re not giving up their secrets easily.
As a fibroblast expert, I host Fibroblast Thursday—a monthly deep-dive (every third Thursday) where we untangle the messy truths of fibroblast biology. The situation is serious, but not hopeless… especially with caffeine, good data, and a room full of curious minds. And yes, there's the occasional signaling pathway meltdown. Come for the collagen, stay for the conversation.
As a member of the LungMAP consortium, I contributed to the foundational chapter on lung fibroblasts for the CellCards from LungMAP (A Census of the Lung: CellCards from LungMAP, Developmental Cell, 2022, PMID: 34936882). My ongoing work with CellCards and fibroblast ontology culminated in my appointment as Chair of the Lung Fibroblast Group for the Cell Summit.
In this role, I initiated and currently lead the Fibroblast Thursday Discussion Series, a monthly forum comprising over 40 members. Under my leadership, the group has:
- Defined fibroblast populations, their spatial locations, and functional roles.
- Harmonized existing literature with current cell ontology.
- Developed a comprehensive knowledge tree for data integration, enabling connections between transcriptomic and proteomic data and cellular localization and function in lung development, disease, and regeneration.
This sustained effort has significantly advanced our understanding of lung fibroblast biology, furthering translational research in the field. Please contact me at anne.perl@cchmc.org if you want to join us and I can include you in our email list.
