We study how immune and epithelial cells of the airway and lung communicate in order to defend against environmental challenge and enable proper respiratory function, and how these processes go awry to create respiratory disease. Our focus is on innate defensive functions of the airway, particularly the actions of the airway epithelial lining (for instance: mucus production, antimicrobial peptide secretion, pH modulation, and ciliary movement), and innate resident immune cells. How do immune cells modulate the basic mucociliary function that constitutively clears particles and bacteria that seek to enter our lungs? How do epithelial cells alert their stromal, epithelial, and immune neighbors in the case of tissue injury or infection?

By uncoding basic biological mechanisms, we seek to understand and identify new targets for therapy against diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic rhinosinusitis, cystic fibrosis, and airway infection.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of sponsors who make our work possible!