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Angela Haczku, M.D., Ph.D.

Research Associate Professor of Medicine

University of Pennsylvania Medical Center
Pulmonary & Critical Care Division
Translational Research Laboratories #1209
125 S. 31st Street
Philadelphia PA 19104
tel.: (215) 573-4718
fax: (215) 746-1224

email: haczku@mail.med.upenn.edu

Education

  • MD: University Medical School of Debrecen, Hungary
  • Residency: University Medical School of Debrecen, Hungary
  • Ph.D.: National Heart and Lung Institute at the Royal Brompton Hospital, University of London, United Kingdom
  • Research Fellowship: National Jewish Medical and Research Center, University of Colorado, Denver, CO

Allergen inhalation elicits characteristic inflammatory changes in susceptible patients while normal individuals remain symptom-free. The exact mechanisms that ensure both elimination of inhaled allergenic material and protection of the lung from an inappropriate immune response are unknown. The long-term goal of my research is to unravel the crosstalk between the innate and adaptive immune system during development of allergic and infectious inflammatory changes in the lung. To investigate T-cell related pathologies such as the allergic airway response my laboratory has established various in vitro and in vivo (rodent) model systems suitable to study pulmonary inflammation as well as the resulting changes in lung physiology. My laboratory is one of the few that study the importance of the pulmonary surfactant and in particular, the lung collectins, (SP-A and SP-D), in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Our observations support the novel concept that these lectin-like molecules play an essential protective regulatory role during inflammatory changes. These findings are important because they may provide unique, novel therapeutical opportunities to control and manipulate the immune system in the lung.

Representative publications

Kierstein S, Krytska K, Sharma S, Panettieri RA Jr, Salmon M, Zangrilli JG, Haczku A. Ozone inhalation induces exacerbation of allergic airway hyperresponsiveness, prolongs survival of eosinophils and inhibits Fas-ligand. Allergy 2007 (in press).

Jain D, Keslacy S, Tliba O, Kierstein S, Panettieri RA, Amrani Y, Haczku A. Essential role of IFNß and CD38 in TNFa-induced airway smooth muscle hyperresponsiveness. Am J Physiol - Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2007 (in press)

Sims MW, Tal-Singer RM, Kierstein S, Musani AI, Beers MF, Panettieri RA, Haczku A. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and inhaled steroids alter surfactant protein D levels. Respir Res 2007 (in press)

Kierstein S, Poulain FR, Cao Y, Grous M, Matias R, Kierstein G, Beers MF, Salmon M, Panettieri RA Jr, Haczku A. Susceptibility to ozone-induced airway inflammation is associated with decreased levels of surfactant protein D. Respir Res. 2006 Jun 1;7(1):85

Haczku A, Cao Y, Vass G, Kierstein S, Nath P, Atochina-Vasserman EN, Scanlon ST, Li L, Griswold DE, Chung KF, Poulain FR, Hawgood S, Beers MF, Crouch EC. IL-4 and IL-13 form a negative feedback circuit with surfactant protein-D in the allergic airway response. J Immunol. 2006 Mar 15;176(6):3557-65.

Haczku A. Role and regulation of lung collectins in allergic airway sensitization. Pharmacol Ther. 2006 Apr;110(1):14-34.

revised 9/07



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