Research
Focus
Our research is grounded in understanding the molecular
mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis to respiratory pathogens, especially
viruses. A multifocal approach seeks to elucidate viral-host interactions,
host defense and immunity mediated by immune and pulmonary cell lineages,
and transcriptional mechanisms of lung pathogenesis. The impact of environmental
insults is of particular interest.
The development
and utilization of transgenic and gene-targeted strategies to develop
gain-of-function or loss-of-function models of lung disease and pathogenesis
to respiratory infection is a common scientific approach. Recent efforts
are underway to incorporate global analyses of molecular mechanisms,
computational approaches to discover underlying causes of lung disease,
and genomic and proteomic technologies to these emerging fields.