My major research interest is in acute lung injury, which can be caused by either biomolecular or biophysical insults to the lungs, such as an infection or the mechanical injury resulting from mechanical ventilation itself. My lab is dedicated to understanding the interaction between patients and the breathing machine and finding new ways to identify individuals who are at higher risk for developing lung injury, in addition to diagnosing, treating and monitoring improvement from injury. To accomplish our goals, we have developed various model systems from basic epithelial cell stretch models to animal models of lung injury. We exploit whole genome approaches, such as microarray technology, to identify novel molecular targets and use various computational strategies to analyze our data. We are also interested in understanding how and why critically ill patients develop multi-organ failure. To answer some of the more complex questions, my lab also collaborates actively with clinical researchers involved in state of the art clinical trials related to novel mechanical ventilation strategies.
