About

Our research interests are in how the lung resolves injury and undergoes repair after damage. Acute events such as pneumonia, inhalational injury, trauma or sepsis often damage the lung, which consequently can impede its primary function, gas exchange. The clinical syndrome these events can lead to is termed Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). ARDS is a common pulmonary disease often seen and treated in intensive care units. Despite decades of research into the pathogenesis underlying the development of ARDS, mortality remains high. Our laboratory has built upon exciting observations by our group and others on the importance of how the lung repairs after injury. One type of white blood cell, the Foxp3+ regulatory T cell (Treg), appears important in the resolution of ARDS in both experimental models of lung injury and importantly Treg are present in patients with ARDS. Tregs contribute to the recovery from experimental acute lung injury (ALI) through modulating immune responses and enhancing alveolar epithelial proliferation and tissue repair.