Department of Infectious Diseases
Associate Professor
Expertise
Animal Models of Human Disease | Bacteriology | Cell Culture | Disease Modeling | Disease Pathogenesis | Disease Physiology | Immunology | Infectious Diseases | Microbiology | Mycobacterial Diseases | Pathogenesis
Biography
My laboratory studies mechanisms of respiratory innate immunity supporting immune responses to pathogens or underlying pathogeneses of lung diseases. The first major project focuses on cystic fibrosis lung disease and studies host-pathogen interactions between neutrophils and respiratory pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium abscessus. The second main project investigates the role reactive oxygen species play in antimicrobial defenses of the airway epithelium against influenza virus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. Additional projects explore the connection between airway inflammation and autoimmunity in cystic fibrosis and modulation of the innate immune system of the airways for therapeutic benefits
Research Interests
- Cystic fibrosis airway inflammation
- Neutrophil biology in lung diseases
- Respiratory innate immunity to P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, S. pneumoniae and influenza virus
- Broad-range antimicrobial therapies
- Modulating innate immunity for therapeutic benefits
Selected Publications
