Pathogenesis of Fibrosis in Systemic Sclerosis and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Description of projects available to graduate students:
Our laboratory has a longstanding interest in the regulation of gene expression in connective tissue and fibrotic diseases such as scleroderma and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Our research interests include the identification of aberrantly expressed genes in primary fibroblasts cultured from fibrotic skin and lung tissues, the examination of the role of environmental and genetic factors in the development of systemic sclerosis in twins, and the role of insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) in the development and perpetuation of fibrosis and the mechanism by which they trigger fibrosis.

Techniques graduate student will learn:
molecular assays, primary cell culture techniques, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence