I have a long-term interest in allergic asthma, mucosal immunology and the development of murine models of pulmonary inflammation to inhaled allergens and air pollutants. The primary focus of the laboratory is the study of lung mucosal immune responses to various environmental insults including house dust mite allergen, ozone, environmental cigarette smoke and wood smoke, and how these airborne agents lead to the development or exacerbation of allergic asthma. The goal is that these studies will lead to intriguing new insights into mechanisms that underpin the airway inflammatory process in human asthma. The emphasis of our current research program includes the role of natural killer cells and the dissection of the mechanism of action of novel eicosanoid antagonists (prostaglandin I2 and CB2) and S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) inhibitors in suppressing lung inflammation and potentiating mucosal immunity. These approaches will aid in facilitating the development of novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of asthma and other chronic inflammatory lung diseases.
