Projects and Research Facilities

Pulmonary Fibrosis Research Program:

This program will identify mechanisms underlying fibroblast activation that accumulate in the distal areas of IPF lungs using four projects with a synergistic focus on 1) WT1-driven novel targets underlying fibroblast activation, 2) Inhibition of WT1-MYCN-PLK1 axis and pulmonary fibrosis using PLK1-specific inhibitor, volasertib, 3) Role of Sox9 in basal cell and fibroblasts dysfunction in IPF lungs, and 4) therapeutic inhibition of Sox9 expression to attenuate pulmonary fibrosis.

Asthma Research Program:

This program will identify cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying airway inflammation and smooth muscle cell contraction in the pathogenesis of asthma. The schemata below highlight how Th1 and Th2 cytokines regulate IL-31RA to alter smooth muscle cell contraction and AHR in asthma.​