The lung faces a monumental challenge; each day we
inhale about 11,000 liters of air in order to maintain
life. This inhaled gas is laden with infectious bacteria,
viruses, as well as allergens, environmental pollutants,
and irritants. In spite of this overwhelming burden,
most of us don't get lung disease and our lungs almost
always effectively carry out gas exchange.
Our lab studies the functions at the cellular and
molecular levels of pulmonary epithelial and immune
cells that contribute to the ability of the lung to
carry out functions that are important for normal
breathing and for preventing infection and inflammation.
The lung produces a unique soap-like substance, known
as surfactant, that helps project the lung against
infection. Two of the surfactant proteins, surfactant
proteins A and D (SP-A and SP-D) are homologous to
serum proteins that bind sugars, such as those found
on pathogen surfaces. Our laboratory is currently
investigating the surfactant mediated regulation of
innate immune cells, such as macrophages and neutrophils,
adaptive immune cells, such as dendritic cells and
T-lymphocytes, as well as cells involved in pulmonary
diseases such as asthma. In addition, we study pathways
involved in surfactant metabolism that help regulate
the pool of functional surfactant. These studies employ
an array of techniques including immunological, cell
biological, molecular biology, physiology, and microscopy.
