Research Interests
Our lab’s research interests center around injury and repair mechanisms critical to pulmonary endothelial cell function. Major areas of focus include pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), acute respiratory distress syndrome, and acute lung injury. Continuing my previous experience in graduate school with pulmonary endothelial cells and my focus on immune responses/inflammation, we have begun to study molecular mechanisms that contribute to PAH, such as the Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal transition (EndMT). In a second project, we are focusing on endothelial cell injury and disease propagation where we employ Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a leading cause of nosocomial pneumonia, to uncover cell damage and repair mechanisms in acute lung injury. In our lab, we routinely use mammalian and bacterial culture, microscopy, western blot, RT-PCR, ELISA, colony formation, migration, and invasion assays. We are actively looking to recruit students into the lab, and the majority of our work will be conducted in the University of Louisiana Monroe School of Pharmacy.