Pulmonary Biology
Lung Diseases

Lung Diseases

Lung diseases can be congenital or acquired after birth. Many lung diseases are life-threatening, or lead to chronic morbidity (debility). Millions of people in the United States and world-wide are affected by lung disease of one kind or another. Life-saving surfactant therapy for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), which occurs in infants born prematurely, was developed at Cincinnati Children’s by Dr. Whitsett. This therapy alone has resulted in a major reduction in perinatal deaths in the United States and countries world-wide. In a similar manner, groups in our division are actively seeking new treatments and therapies for many other lung diseases that affect children and adults. Using a wealth of cutting-edge approaches (many of which have been developed in our division) our groups work on the pathogenesis (causes) of lung diseases with the goal of identifying new therapeutic targets.

Some of the lung diseases being studied in the Division of Pulmonary Biology include:

Machiko Ikegami, MD, PhD: Molecular mechanisms of surfactant homeostasis in the injured lung

John Shannon, PhD: Lung morphogenesis and differentiation, and FGFs

Jeffrey Whitsett, MD: Lung transcriptional control, epithelial patterning and differentiation

 

Asthma. Histology shows inflammatory cells around an artery and airway in a mouse model of allergic asthma. (Picture courtesy of the Le Cras laboratory.)

Machiko Ikegami, MD, PhD: C/EBPα, airway resistance

Timothy Le Cras, PhD: Lung development, pathogenesis of lung remodeling

Susan Wert, PhD:  Histopathology of abnormal lung development, injury / repair and human surfactant dysfunctions / mutations.

Jeffrey Whitsett, MD: Lung transcriptional control, epithelial patterning and differentiation

Yan Xu, PhD: Bioinformatics, systems biology of lung development and disease

 

 Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD). Lung histology shows thickening of alveolar septae, enlarged distal airspaces and inflammation in infant with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

 

Machiko Ikegami, MD, PhD: SP-D containing surfactant for treatment

Alan Jobe, MD, PhD: See Division of Perinatal Biology.

Suhas Kallapur, MD: See Division of Perinatal Biology.

Ward Rice, MD, PhD: Molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating surfactant processing

John Shannon, PhD: Lung morphogenesis and differentiation, and FGFs

Jeffrey Whitsett, MD: Lung transcriptional control, epithelial patterning and differentiation

John Shannon, PhD: Lung morphogenesis and differentiation, and FGFs

Jeffrey Whitsett, MD: Lung transcriptional control, epithelial patterning and differentiation

Paul Kingma, MD, PhD: SP-D in neonatal sepsis, RDS and innate immune system in neonatal infection

Susan Wert, PhD: Histopathology of abnormal lung development, injury / repair and human surfactant dysfunctions / mutations.

Jeffrey Whitsett, MD: Lung transcriptional control, epithelial patterning and differentiation

Yan Xu, PhD: Bioinformatics, systems biology of lung development and disease

Machiko Ikegami, MD, PhD: Lung mechanics and surfactant function

John Shannon, PhD: Lung morphogenesis and differentiation, and FGFs

Jeffrey Whitsett, MD: Lung transcriptional control, epithelial patterning and differentiation

Yan Xu, PhD: Bioinformatics, systems biology of lung development and disease

 

Lung Cancer. Histology shows multiple tumors in a genetic mouse model of lung cancer. (Picture courtesy of the Wikenhesier-Brokamp laboratory.)

Machiko Ikegami, MD, PhD: C/EBPα in lung cancer

Tanya Kalin, MD, PhD: Regulation of DNA replication and mitosis in lung and prostate tumor cells

Jeffrey Whitsett, MD: Lung transcriptional control, epithelial patterning and differentiation

Kathryn Wikenheiser-Brokamp, MD, PhD: Epithelial cell growth regulation, pathways in lung cancer

Yan Xu, PhD: Bioinformatics, systems biology of lung development and disease

Machiko Ikegami, MD, PhD: SP-D, Stat-3, C/EBPα in lung injury/repair

Timothy Le Cras, PhD: Lung development, pathogenesis of lung remodeling

John Shannon, PhD: Lung morphogenesis and differentiation, and FGFs

Susan Wert, PhD: Histopathology of abnormal lung development, injury / repair and human surfactant dysfunctions / mutations.

Jeffrey Whitsett, MD: Lung transcriptional control, epithelial patterning and differentiation

Kathryn Wikenheiser-Brokamp, MD, PhD: Epithelial cell growth regulation, pathways in lung cancer

Machiko Ikegami, MD, PhD: Surfactant catabolism

Bruce Trapnell, MD: Regulation innate immunity, inflammation, GM-CSF in lung disease

Susan Wert, PhD:  Histopathology of abnormal lung development, injury / repair and human surfactant dysfunctions / mutations.

Jeffrey Whitsett, MD: Lung transcriptional control, epithelial patterning and differentiation

William Hardie, MD: See Division of Pulmonary Medicine.

Machiko Ikegami, MD, PhD: Altered lung mechanics and surfactant metabolism

John Shannon, PhD: Lung morphogenesis and differentiation, and FGFs

Jeffrey Whitsett, MD: Lung transcriptional control, epithelial patterning and differentiation

Machiko Ikegami, MD, PhD: Molecular mechanisms of surfactant homeostasis

Paul Kingma, MD, PhD: SP-D in neonatal sepsis, RDS and innate immune system in neonatal infection

Ward Rice, MD, PhD: Molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating surfactant processing

John Shannon, PhD: Lung morphogenesis and differentiation, and FGFs

Susan Wert, PhD: Histopathology of abnormal lung development, injury / repair and human surfactant dysfunctions / mutations.

Jeffrey Whitsett, MD: Lung transcriptional control, epithelial patterning and differentiation

 

 Pulmonary Vascular Diseases. Lung histology shows thickening and remodeling of small pulmonary artery in a patient with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

 

Timothy Le Cras, PhD: Lung development, pathogenesis of lung remodeling

Jeffrey Whitsett, MD: Lung transcriptional control, epithelial patterning and differentiation

Paul Kingma, MD, PhD: SP-D in neonatal sepsis, RDS and innate immune system in neonatal infection

Frank McCormack, MD: See Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the University of Cincinnati.

Bruce Trapnell, MD: Regulation innate immunity, inflammation, GM-CSF in lung disease

Susan Wert, PhD:  Histopathology of abnormal lung development, injury / repair and human surfactant dysfunctions / mutations.

Jeffrey Whitsett, MD: Lung transcriptional control, epithelial patterning and differentiation

Yan Xu, PhD: Bioinformatics, systems biology of lung development and disease

Lisa Young, MD: See Division of Pulmonary Medicine.

Machiko Ikegami, MD, PhD: New treatment for RDS, ventilatory lung injury

Alan Jobe, MD, PhD: See Division of Perinatal Biology.

Suhas Kallapur, MD: See Division of Perinatal Biology.

Ward Rice, MD, PhD: Molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating surfactant processing

John Shannon, PhD: Lung morphogenesis and differentiation, and FGFs

Jeffrey Whitsett, MD: Lung transcriptional control, epithelial patterning and differentiation

Yan Xu, PhD: Bioinformatics, systems biology of lung development and disease  

Rare Lung Diseases Consortium

The Rare Lung Diseases Consortium (RLDC) is a network of cooperating clinical centers and patient support organizations who are working with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in a collaborative network whose novel structure is designed to accelerate clinical research and improve the delivery of medical care to individuals affected by rare lung diseases.
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