Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Division Faculty Members are engaged in a wide variety of research projects. The list below highlights our main areas of focus. Please click on individual faculty members’ names to link with their detailed research summaries and publications.  See also information in the Sleep Division.  A number of Pulmonary Faculty hold joint appointments.

Asthma and Airway Biology

This is a large multi-disciplinary group with a focus on asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis, lymphangioleiomyomatosis and other airways diseases.  The group is led by Dr. Rey Panettieri.  Other members include Drs. Andrea Apter, Angela Haczku, Elena Goncharova, Vera Krymskaya, and Michael Sims.  Dr. Joel Cooper of the Department of Surgery at Penn and interacts with members of this Research Group in the conduct of his COPD and lung volume reduction studies.  Research from this group is supported by RO1 funding, and support from industry.

Projects range from basic molecular signaling studies to clinical trials.

Specific faculty interests include:

Rey Panettieri, Jr., M.D.

• Cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate airway smooth muscle cell growth,
• Immunobiology of airway smooth muscle.
• Clinical investigations focused on the management of asthma and COPD
• Interactions of ozone with airway smooth muscle.

Audreesh Banerjee, M.D.

• Role of Vitamin D in airway smooth muscle cell biology and asthma.

Andrea Apter, M.D., MSc

• Role of Drug Adherence in Asthma
• Asthma as a model for eliminating health disparities

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

• Murine models of ozone, cigarette smoke and allergen exposure
• T-cell-antigen presenting cell interactions in allergic asthma
• Cytokine regulation of surfactant protein gene expression
• Surfactant protein D and A effects on antigen presenting and T cells

 
Vera Krymskaya, Ph.D.and Elena Goncharova, Ph.D.

• Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) and other rare cystic lung diseases.
• Signal Transduction in Pulmonary Vascular Smooth Muscle.
• Signal Transduction in Airway Smooth Muscle

Michael W. Sims, M.D.

• Collection and characterization of bronchial samples from patients with asthma and COPD
• Genetic epidemiology of COPD progression
• Role of Surfactant Protein D in COPD

Faculty in the Pulmonary Division, led by Dr. Steven Albelda, interact closely with faculty from Thoracic Surgery, Oncology, and Pathology to conduct cutting edge diagnostic and therapeutic investigations related to lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma.   Other members of the group include Drs. Sterman, Vachani, and Haas from Pulmonary, Dr. Sunil Singhal from Thoracic Surgery and Dr. Corey Langer fron Oncology. Research from this group is supported by an NCI-funded Program Project, a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Foundation support.

Specific Faculty interests include:

Steven Albelda, M.D.

• Preclinical studies of immuno-gene therapy for lung cancer and mesothelioma
• Immune Analysis of Clinical Trials using Gene Therapy or Immunotherapy 
• Mesothelioma and Cancer Genomics
• Personalized Medicine

Daniel Sterman, M.D and Andrew Haas, M.D., Ph.D..

• Clinical Trials using Gene Therapy or Immunotherapy to treat Malignant Mesothelioma and lung cancer
• Interventional Bronchoscopy- treatment of COPD

Anil Vachani, M.D.

• Determination of markers to predict survival after lung cancer surgery
• Discovery of Biomarkers for Early Detection of Lung Cancer
• Gene Environment interactions in lung cancer.

• Combining surgery with immunotherapy

• Chemoprevention of lung carcinogenesis and evaluation of anti-carcinogenic effects of common botanicals

Acute Lung Injury and Pulmonary Endothelial/Neutrophil Cell Biology

A multidisciplinary group of basic science and clinical investigators work together to study the pathogenesis and treatment of acute lung injury.  Funded by a Program Project and a number of RO1 grants, a focus of this group has been oxidant injury and ischemia/reperfusion injury.   Key collaborations have been established with Drs. Aron Fisher and Vladimir Muzykantov from the Institute of Environmental Medicine and Dr. Scott Worthen from the Department of Neonatology.   Within the Division, Drs. Albelda, Christodfidou-Solomidou, Christie, DeLisser, Meyer, Mangalmurti, Fuchs, and Lanken are involved.

Specific faculty interests include:

Steven M. Albelda, M.D.

• Role of Cell Adhesion Molecules in Lung Injury
• Role of Oxidants in Development of ARDS

Melpo Christofidou-Solomidou, Ph.D.

• Investigation of targeted antioxidant approaches to acute lung disease  
• Investigation of the usefulness of novel utritional agents with antioxidant properties in acute and chronic lung disease.

Scott Worthen, M.D.

• Mechanisms of lung neutrophil recruitment and activation

Jason Christie, M.D., MSCE

• Molecular Epidemiology of Acute Lung Injury
• Role of Oxidants in Development of ARDS
• Predictors of post-transplant lung injury
• Outcomes after ARDS

Nilam Mangalmurti, M.D.

• Mechanisms of acute lung injury in red blood cell transfusions

Nuala Meyer, M.D.

• Genetic mechanisms of acute lung injury
• Developing a cohort of sepsis patients for genetic epidemiology study

Vladimir Muzykantov, M.D., Ph.D.

• Lung drug delivery using nanoparticles
• Role of oxidants in endothelial cell signal transduction

Aron Fisher, M.D.

• Role of anti-oxidant enzymes in lung injury
• Surfactant Biology

Horace DeLisser, M.D.

• Role of PECAM-1 in angiogenesis and tumor cell metastasis
• Role of hyaluronan receptors (RHAMM and CD44) in angiogenesis
• Role of cell adhesion molecules in post-natal lung development

Barry Fuchs, M.D.

• Improving ICU outcomes

Paul Lanken, M.D.

• ARDS clinical trials
• Bioethics in the ICU

*HIV Biology

Dr. Ronald Collman from Pulmonary runs a program investigating how basic mechanisms in HIV-1 biology determine AIDS pathogenesis.  He interacts closely with colleagues in Infectious Disease, Hematology, and Microbiology to study the biology and treatment of HIV.  Support for this research includes NIH RO1 grants and the Penn Center for AIDS Research.   Dr. Collman’s interests are:

• Role of alveolar macrophages in AIDS pathogenesis
• Mechanisms of HIV-1 entry into target cells
• Virus-induced cell signal transduction
• Molecular virology
• The Pulmonary Microbiome in health and disease states

For further information click here

*Surfactant Biology

Dr. Michael Beers heads a program aimed at studying the role of surfactant in the lung that includes both biochemical functions of surfactant proteins and the role of surfactant in immunity.  Other members of the research group include Dr. Mulugeta in the Pulmonary Division and investigators from the Institute from Environmental Medicine (Dr. Aron Fisher) and the Department of Neonatology (Dr. Susan Guttentag).  This program is funded by two NIH Program Project Grants and numerous RO1 grants.

Specific Projects include:

• Biosynthesis of Surfactant Protein C
• SP-C mutations and conformational lung disease (Adult IPF population and transgenic mouse models)
• Surfactant/Lamellar Body development
• Lung Collectins and Host Defense
• Lung Collectins and Inflammation (Bleomycin and fibrosis,  SNO/ONOO, hyperoxia)

Transplant Biology

More than 50 lung transplants are performed at Penn every year.  Dr. Vivek Ahya is the Medical Director of the Lung Transplantation program.  Several clinical and translational projects are currently active.   These are funded by NIH and Industry grants.  

Jason Christie, M.D., MSCE

• NIH Clinical Trials in Organ Transplant Consortium Grant:  Predictors of post-transplant lung injury using biochemical and genetic markers  specifically focusing on anti-oxidant and inflammatory gene expression

• a multi-centered cohort study to investigate the etiology and pathogenesis of acute lung injury following lung transplantation

Vivek Ahya, M.D.

• Clinical trials of novel immunosuppressive agents for the prevention and treatment of acute and chronic lung rejection

Denis Hadjiliadis, M.D.

• Mechanisms of chronic lung transplant rejection

Interstitial Lung Disease

Investigators in the Pulmonary Division are involved in both basic and clinical research relating to interstitial lung diseases. Dr. Milt Rossman heads the interstitial lung disease clinical program which runs a variety of translational trials that explore pathogenesis and treatment for ILD and sarcoidosis. Specific faculty projects include:

Ellen Puré, Ph.D. (Wistar Institute)

• Role of Fibroblast Activating protein in the pathogenesis of interstitial lung disease

Milt Rossman, M.D. and Maryl Kreider, M.D., MSCE

• Epidemiology and Identification of risk factors for the development of Interstitial Lung Diseases and for poor outcome.
• Drug trials with novel agents for the treatment of ILD and sarcoidois
• Development of a clinical and biological sample repository

Jason Christie, M.D and Michael Beers, M.D.

• Detection of surfactant mutations and the development of ILD

Gregory Tino, M.D.

• Evaluation of new therapeutic agents for the treatment of ILD

Pulmonary Hypertension

Dr. Steven Kawut has recently joined the faculty and runs an active NIH funded research program in Pulmonary hypertension. 

Specific Faculty interests include: 

• The risk factors and outcomes of pulmonary arterial hypertension and other forms of pulmonary vascular disease, such as pulmonary hypertension related to liver failure.
• Studying right ventricular function in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension as well as disease-free individuals in population-based epidemiologic studies.
• Studying complications of lung transplantation and retransplantation is another area of interest.

Vera Krymskaya, Ph.D and Elena Goncherova, Ph.D.

• Signal Transduction in Pulmonary Vascular Smooth Muscle.

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Enivronmental/Occupational Lung Disease

Immunobiology

Dr. Arnold Levinson studies cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune, allergic, and immunodeficiency disorders. The research is supported by NIH R01 and VA Merit Review funding. Current studies are focused on:

• Mechanisms causing abrogation of tolerance to self antigens
• Modulation of human B cell immunoglobulin production by toll-like receptors
• Elucidation of novel mechanisms by which microbial proteins elicit inflammatory reactions
• Development of novel approaches to suppressing IgE-mediated allergic inflammation

Dr. Andrea Apter is leading a team of collaborators in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics in a study of the molecular epidemiology of drug allergy.

• Patient-physician communication and health literacy
• Drug allergy

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