The focus of the Hardie and Madala Laboratory is to further understand the biology of lung remodeling, specifically pulmonary fibrosis. Pulmonary fibrosis is a complication found in a number of adult and pediatric diseases and is a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality worldwide. Currently there are no approved medical therapies to inhibit progression or reverse established pulmonary fibrosis emphasizing the important need to develop effective therapeutic approaches.
The long-term goal of the laboratory is to identify molecular and biologic mechanisms mediating pulmonary fibrotic processes that can be pharmacologically or genetically targeted to inhibit progression and reverse ongoing lung fibrosis in human diseases. To accomplish these goals the laboratory utilizes advanced methods in cellular biology including cell culture and preclinical models of progressive lung fibrosis.