Jaymin Kathiriya, PhD

Research Project:
Altering Gene May Promote Normal Lung Regeneration in Chronic Lung Disease

Grant Awarded:

Innovation Award

Research Topics:

basic biologic mechanisms
computational biology

Research Diseases:

ARDS
interstitial lung disease
pulmonary fibrosis

When the lungs recover from a big injury, normally they can heal themselves. However, this healing ability goes awry in chronic lung diseases like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Depending on the type and seriousness of the injury, different types of progenitor cells (cells that can differentiate into a specific cell type) are activated and respond by proliferating and differentiating to help the lungs recover. Recent studies from our lab have shown that during disease progression, some of these progenitor cells go through a series of changes that promote disease and scarring. This process eventually leads them to become a type of cell that is often seen in advanced stages of IPF. We will use several state-of-the-art techniques to establish the role of a gene called KRT17 in this process. We will determine whether altering this gene expression will promote normal instead of abnormal disease-causing regeneration. Knowledge gained through this study will advance the development of cell-based therapies for treatments of chronic lung diseases like IPF.

Innovation Award, applied under the Hastings Award

Page last updated: November 22, 2024

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