DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Asthma
• Inflammatory Lung Disease (Non-Asthma)
• Pulmonary Vascular Disease

The laboratory is interested in autoreactive T cells, how these cells arise and mediate autoimmune diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, and COPD , etc. We are beginning to examine the role of autoimmune T cells in COPD including emphysema. We have found a population of T cells, that express a unique marker. We show that these cells infiltrate various organs associated with autoimmune diseases, and importantly that we can functionally alter these cells. The focus of the lab is to continue characterizing these cells using flow cytometry, microscopy, molecular biology and disease transfer models.