Mehmet Kesimer UNC scientist Mehmet Kesimer, PhD, helps medical colleagues figure out why airborne allergens can cause asthma symptoms in some people but not others. His work implicates an important protein in mucus — MUC5AC. To read the full article, click here.

CF Center members Drs. Alessandra Livraghi-Butrico, Bill Davis, Kristy Terrell, Barbara Grubb, and Wanda O’Neal collaborated with researchers on a new Nature paper, “Muc5b is required for airway defence.” In their study, Roy et al., found that mouse Muc5b, but not Muc5ac, is required for mucociliary clearance and control of infections in the airways and … Read more

Dr. Robert Tarran was recently awarded one of 14 U.S. Food and Drug Administrartion (FDA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to establish a Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science (TCORS) in the School of Medicine. The award consists of nearly $4 million in funding annually for five years, during which time Tarran will examine, … Read more

The August 2012 Science cover featuring original artwork of a close-up view of the periciliary layer in the human airway. With each breath, we inhale life-sustaining, oxygen-rich air. But that same air is also riddled with germs that threaten our health. Now, in collaboration between the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of … Read more

The new 2011 edition of Cystic Fibrosis, Methods in Molecular Biology is now published, featuring the most up-to-date methods for culturing primary airway epithelial cells, courtesy of our Tissue Core team and affiliates! Read Chapter 18: “Primary Epithelial Cell Models for Cystic Fibrosis Research” (pdf) The chapter, along with many other resources and information on … Read more