Dr. Georas is Professor of Medicine, Environmental Medicine. Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. From 1994-2006, he was a faculty member at Johns Hopkins University in the Pulmonary & Critical Care Division with a joint appointment in the Division of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, and Department of Environmental Health Sciences. He moved to the University of Rochester in 2006. Dr. Georas directs a research group investigating mechanisms of immune cell activation in the lung. Current studies are aimed at defining molecular pathways by which allergens and particulate matter activate epithelial cells and dendritic cells, leading to generation of maladaptive allergen-specific immune responses in asthma. A separate line of research is investigating how lysophosphatidic acid is generated in the lung, exploring the role of different LPA receptors in lung inflammation and immune responses. These studies should further our understanding of how the lung functions as an immune organ, with a long-term goal of alleviating the burden of immune-mediated lung diseases including asthma in susceptible human subjects.

• Block RC, Kakinami L, Jonovich M, Antonetti I, Lawrence P, Meednu N, Calderonartero P, Mousa SA, Brenna JT, Georas S. The combination of EPA+DHA and low-dose aspirin ingestion reduces platelet function acutely whereas each alone may not in healthy humans. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2012 Oct; 87(4-5):143-51.
  View in: PubMed
• Bauer SM, Roy A, Emo J, Chapman TJ, Georas SN, Lawrence BP. The effects of maternal exposure to bisphenol a on allergic lung inflammation into adulthood. Toxicol Sci. 2012 Nov; 130(1):82-93.
  View in: PubMed
• Qi Y, Operario DJ, Georas SN, Mosmann TR. The acute environment, rather than T cell subset pre-commitment, regulates expression of the human T cell cytokine amphiregulin. PLoS One. 2012; 7(6):e39072.
  View in: PubMed
• Emo J, Meednu N, Chapman TJ, Rezaee F, Balys M, Randall T, Rangasamy T, Georas SN. Lpa2 is a negative regulator of both dendritic cell activation and murine models of allergic lung inflammation. J Immunol. 2012 Apr 15; 188(8):3784-90.
  View in: PubMed
• Rezaee F, Meednu N, Emo JA, Saatian B, Chapman TJ, Naydenov NG, De Benedetto A, Beck LA, Ivanov AI, Georas SN. Polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid induces protein kinase D-dependent disassembly of apical junctions and barrier dysfunction in airway epithelial cells. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011 Dec; 128(6):1216-1224.e11.
  View in: PubMed
• De Benedetto A, Slifka MK, Rafaels NM, Kuo IH, Georas SN, Boguniewicz M, Hata T, Schneider LC, Hanifin JM, Gallo RL, Johnson DC, Barnes KC, Leung DY, Beck LA. Reductions in claudin-1 may enhance susceptibility to herpes simplex virus 1 infections in atopic dermatitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011 Jul; 128(1):242-246.e5.
  View in: PubMed
• Rangasamy T, Semenza GL, Georas SN. What is hypoxia-inducible factor-1 doing in the allergic lung? Allergy. 2011 Jul; 66(7):815-7.
  View in: PubMed
• Lin X, Sime PJ, Xu H, Williams MA, LaRussa L, Georas SN, Guo J. Yin yang 1 is a novel regulator of pulmonary fibrosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2011 Jun 15; 183(12):1689-97.
  View in: PubMed
• De Benedetto A, Rafaels NM, McGirt LY, Ivanov AI, Georas SN, Cheadle C, Berger AE, Zhang K, Vidyasagar S, Yoshida T, Boguniewicz M, Hata T, Schneider LC, Hanifin JM, Gallo RL, Novak N, Weidinger S, Beaty TH, Leung DY, Barnes KC, Beck LA. Tight junction defects in patients with atopic dermatitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011 Mar; 127(3):773-86.e1-7.
  View in: PubMed
• Bezemer GF, Bauer SM, Oberdörster G, Breysse PN, Pieters RH, Georas SN, Williams MA. Activation of pulmonary dendritic cells and Th2-type inflammatory responses on instillation of engineered, environmental diesel emission source or ambient air pollutant particles in vivo. J Innate Immun. 2011; 3(2):150-66.
  View in: PubMed
• Lee FE, Georas SN, Beck LA. IL-17: important for host defense, autoimmunity, and allergy? J Invest Dermatol. 2010 Nov; 130(11):2540-2.
  View in: PubMed
• Qi Y, Operario DJ, Oberholzer CM, Kobie JJ, Looney RJ, Georas SN, Mosmann TR. Human basophils express amphiregulin in response to T cell-derived IL-3. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010 Dec; 126(6):1260-6.e4.
  View in: PubMed
• Georas SN, Rezaee F, Lerner L, Beck L. Dangerous allergens: why some allergens are bad actors. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2010 Mar; 10(2):92-8.
  View in: PubMed
• Block RC, Duff R, Lawrence P, Kakinami L, Brenna JT, Shearer GC, Meednu N, Mousa S, Friedman A, Harris WS, Larson M, Georas S. The effects of EPA, DHA, and aspirin ingestion on plasma lysophospholipids and autotaxin. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2010 Feb-Mar; 82(2-3):87-95.
  View in: PubMed
• Cheadle C, Watkins T, Fan J, Williams MA, Georas S, Hall J, Rosen A, Barnes KC. GSMA: Gene Set Matrix Analysis, An Automated Method for Rapid Hypothesis Testing of Gene Expression Data. Bioinform Biol Insights. 2009; 1:49-62.
  View in: PubMed
• Williams MA, Bauer S, Lu W, Guo J, Walter S, Bushnell TP, Lillehoj EP, Georas SN. Deletion of the mucin-like molecule muc1 enhances dendritic cell activation in response to toll-like receptor ligands. J Innate Immun. 2010; 2(2):123-43.
  View in: PubMed
• Rangasamy T, Williams MA, Bauer S, Trush MA, Emo J, Georas SN, Biswal S. Nuclear erythroid 2 p45-related factor 2 inhibits the maturation of murine dendritic cells by ragweed extract. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2010 Sep; 43(3):276-85.
  View in: PubMed
• Pietropaoli A, Georas SN. Resolving lung injury: a new role for Tregs in controlling the innate immune response. J Clin Invest. 2009 Oct; 119(10):2891-4.
  View in: PubMed
• Roman J, Rangasamy T, Guo J, Sugunan S, Meednu N, Packirisamy G, Shimoda LA, Golding A, Semenza G, Georas SN. T-cell activation under hypoxic conditions enhances IFN-gamma secretion. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2010 Jan; 42(1):123-8.
  View in: PubMed
• Georas SN. Lysophosphatidic acid and autotaxin: emerging roles in innate and adaptive immunity. Immunol Res. 2009; 45(2-3):229-38.
  View in: PubMed
• Guo J, Lu W, Shimoda LA, Semenza GL, Georas SN. Enhanced interferon-gamma gene expression in T Cells and reduced ovalbumin-dependent lung eosinophilia in hypoxia-inducible factor-1-alpha-deficient mice. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2009; 149(2):98-102.
  View in: PubMed
• Georas SN, Beck L. Dangerous allergens: innate immunity, dendritic cells and allergic asthma. Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2008 Nov; 4(6):777-85.
  View in: PubMed
• Guo J, Williams MA, Georas SN. Epigenetic studies should focus on specific cell types. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2008 Oct 15; 178(8):882-3; author reply 883.
  View in: PubMed
• Williams MA, Rangasamy T, Bauer SM, Killedar S, Karp M, Kensler TW, Yamamoto M, Breysse P, Biswal S, Georas SN. Disruption of the transcription factor Nrf2 promotes pro-oxidative dendritic cells that stimulate Th2-like immunoresponsiveness upon activation by ambient particulate matter. J Immunol. 2008 Oct 1; 181(7):4545-59.
  View in: PubMed
• Guo J, Lin X, Williams MA, Hamid Q, Georas SN. Yin-Yang 1 regulates effector cytokine gene expression and T(H)2 immune responses. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008 Jul; 122(1):195-201, 201.e1-5.
  View in: PubMed
• Hansel NN, Cheadle C, Diette GB, Wright J, Thompson KM, Barnes KC, Georas SN. Analysis of CD4+ T-cell gene expression in allergic subjects using two different microarray platforms. Allergy. 2008 Mar; 63(3):366-9.
  View in: PubMed
• Porter M, Karp M, Killedar S, Bauer SM, Guo J, Williams D, Breysse P, Georas SN, Williams MA. Diesel-enriched particulate matter functionally activates human dendritic cells. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2007 Dec; 37(6):706-19.
  View in: PubMed
• Williams MA, Cheadle C, Watkins T, Tailor A, Killedar S, Breysse P, Barnes KC, Georas SN. TLR2 and TLR4 as Potential Biomarkers of Environmental Particulate Matter Exposed Human Myeloid Dendritic Cells. Biomark Insights. 2007; 2:226-40.
  View in: PubMed
• Georas SN, Berdyshev E, Hubbard W, Gorshkova IA, Usatyuk PV, Saatian B, Myers AC, Williams MA, Xiao HQ, Liu M, Natarajan V. Lysophosphatidic acid is detectable in human bronchoalveolar lavage fluids at baseline and increased after segmental allergen challenge. Clin Exp Allergy. 2007 Mar; 37(3):311-22.
  View in: PubMed
• Zhao Y, He D, Zhao J, Wang L, Leff AR, Spannhake EW, Georas S, Natarajan V. Lysophosphatidic acid induces interleukin-13 (IL-13) receptor alpha2 expression and inhibits IL-13 signaling in primary human bronchial epithelial cells. J Biol Chem. 2007 Apr 6; 282(14):10172-9.
  View in: PubMed
• Williams MA, Porter M, Horton M, Guo J, Roman J, Williams D, Breysse P, Georas SN. Ambient particulate matter directs nonclassic dendritic cell activation and a mixed TH1/TH2-like cytokine response by naive CD4+ T cells. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Feb; 119(2):488-97.
  View in: PubMed
• Chen R, Roman J, Guo J, West E, McDyer J, Williams MA, Georas SN. Lysophosphatidic acid modulates the activation of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells. Stem Cells Dev. 2006 Dec; 15(6):797-804.
  View in: PubMed
• Barekzi E, Roman J, Hise K, Georas S, Steinke JW. Lysophosphatidic acid stimulates inflammatory cascade in airway epithelial cells. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2006 Jun; 74(6):357-63.
  View in: PubMed
• Saatian B, Zhao Y, He D, Georas SN, Watkins T, Spannhake EW, Natarajan V. Transcriptional regulation of lysophosphatidic acid-induced interleukin-8 expression and secretion by p38 MAPK and JNK in human bronchial epithelial cells. Biochem J. 2006 Feb 1; 393(Pt 3):657-68.
  View in: PubMed
• Keen JC, Cianferoni A, Florio G, Guo J, Chen R, Roman J, Wills-Karp M, Casolaro V, Georas SN. Characterization of a novel PMA-inducible pathway of interleukin-13 gene expression in T cells. Immunology. 2006 Jan; 117(1):29-37.
  View in: PubMed
• Georas SN, Guo J, De Fanis U, Casolaro V. T-helper cell type-2 regulation in allergic disease. Eur Respir J. 2005 Dec; 26(6):1119-37.
  View in: PubMed
• Rubenfeld J, Guo J, Sookrung N, Chen R, Chaicumpa W, Casolaro V, Zhao Y, Natarajan V, Georas S. Lysophosphatidic acid enhances interleukin-13 gene expression and promoter activity in T cells. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2006 Jan; 290(1):L66-74.
  View in: PubMed
• Rangasamy T, Guo J, Mitzner WA, Roman J, Singh A, Fryer AD, Yamamoto M, Kensler TW, Tuder RM, Georas SN, Biswal S. Disruption of Nrf2 enhances susceptibility to severe airway inflammation and asthma in mice. J Exp Med. 2005 Jul 4; 202(1):47-59.
  View in: PubMed
• Hansel NN, Hilmer SC, Georas SN, Cope LM, Guo J, Irizarry RA, Diette GB. Oligonucleotide-microarray analysis of peripheral-blood lymphocytes in severe asthma. J Lab Clin Med. 2005 May; 145(5):263-74.
  View in: PubMed
• Heller NM, Matsukura S, Georas SN, Boothby MR, Stellato C, Schleimer RP. Assessment of signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 as a target of glucocorticoid action in human airway epithelial cells. Clin Exp Allergy. 2004 Nov; 34(11):1690-700.
  View in: PubMed
• Heller NM, Matsukura S, Georas SN, Boothby MR, Rothman PB, Stellato C, Schleimer RP. Interferon-gamma inhibits STAT6 signal transduction and gene expression in human airway epithelial cells. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2004 Nov; 31(5):573-82.
  View in: PubMed
• Georas SN. Inhaled glucocorticoids, lymphocytes, and dendritic cells in asthma and obstructive lung diseases. Proc Am Thorac Soc. 2004; 1(3):215-21.
  View in: PubMed
• Hisatsune A, Hyun SW, Lee IJ, Georas S, Kim KC. YY1 transcription factor is not responsible for the negative regulation of hamster Muc1 transcription. Anticancer Res. 2004 Jan-Feb; 24(1):235-40.
  View in: PubMed
• Wang L, Cummings R, Zhao Y, Kazlauskas A, Sham JK, Morris A, Georas S, Brindley DN, Natarajan V. Involvement of phospholipase D2 in lysophosphatidate-induced transactivation of platelet-derived growth factor receptor-beta in human bronchial epithelial cells. J Biol Chem. 2003 Oct 10; 278(41):39931-40.
  View in: PubMed
• Wang W, Fan J, Yang X, Fürer-Galban S, Lopez de Silanes I, von Kobbe C, Guo J, Georas SN, Foufelle F, Hardie DG, Carling D, Gorospe M. AMP-activated kinase regulates cytoplasmic HuR. Mol Cell Biol. 2002 May; 22(10):3425-36.
  View in: PubMed
• Georas SN, Beck LA, Stellato C. What is eotaxin doing in the pleura? Insights into innate immunity from pleural mesothelial cells. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2002 Apr; 26(4):384-7.
  View in: PubMed
• Valapour M, Guo J, Schroeder JT, Keen J, Cianferoni A, Casolaro V, Georas SN. Histone deacetylation inhibits IL4 gene expression in T cells. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2002 Feb; 109(2):238-45.
  View in: PubMed
• Ankrom M, Zelesnick L, Barofsky I, Georas S, Finucane TE, Greenough WB. Elective discontinuation of life-sustaining mechanical ventilation on a chronic ventilator unit. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2001 Nov; 49(11):1549-54.
  View in: PubMed
• Guo J, Casolaro V, Seto E, Yang WM, Chang C, Seminario MC, Keen J, Georas SN. Yin-Yang 1 activates interleukin-4 gene expression in T cells. J Biol Chem. 2001 Dec 28; 276(52):48871-8.
  View in: PubMed
• Matsukura S, Stellato C, Georas SN, Casolaro V, Plitt JR, Miura K, Kurosawa S, Schindler U, Schleimer RP. Interleukin-13 upregulates eotaxin expression in airway epithelial cells by a STAT6-dependent mechanism. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2001 Jun; 24(6):755-61.
  View in: PubMed
• Cianferoni A, Schroeder JT, Kim J, Schmidt JW, Lichtenstein LM, Georas SN, Casolaro V. Selective inhibition of interleukin-4 gene expression in human T cells by aspirin. Blood. 2001 Mar 15; 97(6):1742-9.
  View in: PubMed
• Keen JC, Sholl L, Wills-Karp M, Georas SN. Preferential activation of nuclear factor of activated T cells c correlates with mouse strain susceptibility to allergic responses and interleukin-4 gene expression. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2001 Jan; 24(1):58-65.
  View in: PubMed
• Seminario MC, Guo J, Bochner BS, Beck LA, Georas SN. Human eosinophils constitutively express nuclear factor of activated T cells p and c. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2001 Jan; 107(1):143-52.
  View in: PubMed
• Casolaro V, Keane-Myers AM, Swendeman SL, Steindler C, Zhong F, Sheffery M, Georas SN, Ono SJ. Identification and characterization of a critical CP2-binding element in the human interleukin-4 promoter. J Biol Chem. 2000 Nov 24; 275(47):36605-11.
  View in: PubMed
• Burke TF, Casolaro V, Georas SN. Characterization of P5, a novel NFAT/AP-1 site in the human IL-4 promoter. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2000 Apr 21; 270(3):1016-23.
  View in: PubMed
• Georas S, Cumberland J, Burke T, Park E, Ono S, Casolaro V. Characterization of a novel negative regulatory element in the human interleukin 4 promoter. Leukemia. 2000 Apr; 14(4):629-35.
  View in: PubMed
• Lee SC, Brummet ME, Shahabuddin S, Woodworth TG, Georas SN, Leiferman KM, Gilman SC, Stellato C, Gladue RP, Schleimer RP, Beck LA. Cutaneous injection of human subjects with macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha induces significant recruitment of neutrophils and monocytes. J Immunol. 2000 Mar 15; 164(6):3392-401.
  View in: PubMed
• Chen R, Burke TF, Cumberland JE, Brummet M, Beck LA, Casolaro V, Georas SN. Glucocorticoids inhibit calcium- and calcineurin-dependent activation of the human IL-4 promoter. J Immunol. 2000 Jan 15; 164(2):825-32.
  View in: PubMed
• Matsukura S, Stellato C, Plitt JR, Bickel C, Miura K, Georas SN, Casolaro V, Schleimer RP. Activation of eotaxin gene transcription by NF-kappa B and STAT6 in human airway epithelial cells. J Immunol. 1999 Dec 15; 163(12):6876-83.
  View in: PubMed
• O'Hearn DJ, Leiferman KM, Askin F, Georas SN. Pulmonary infiltrates after cytokine therapy for stem cell transplantation. Massive deposition of eosinophil major basic protein detected by immunohistochemistry. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1999 Oct; 160(4):1361-5.
  View in: PubMed
• Georas SN, Cumberland JE, Burke TF, Chen R, Schindler U, Casolaro V. Stat6 inhibits human interleukin-4 promoter activity in T cells. Blood. 1998 Dec 15; 92(12):4529-38.
  View in: PubMed
• Casolaro V, Georas SN, Song Z, Ono SJ. Biology and genetics of atopic disease. Curr Opin Immunol. 1996 Dec; 8(6):796-803.
  View in: PubMed
• Song Z, Casolaro V, Chen R, Georas SN, Monos D, Ono SJ. Polymorphic nucleotides within the human IL-4 promoter that mediate overexpression of the gene. J Immunol. 1996 Jan 15; 156(2):424-9.
  View in: PubMed
• Casolaro V, Georas SN, Song Z, Zubkoff ID, Abdulkadir SA, Thanos D, Ono SJ. Inhibition of NF-AT-dependent transcription by NF-kappa B: implications for differential gene expression in T helper cell subsets. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1995 Dec 5; 92(25):11623-7.
  View in: PubMed
• Georas SN, McIntyre BW, Ebisawa M, Bednarczyk JL, Sterbinsky SA, Schleimer RP, Bochner BS. Expression of a functional laminin receptor (alpha 6 beta 1, very late activation antigen-6) on human eosinophils. Blood. 1993 Nov 1; 82(9):2872-9.
  View in: PubMed
• Ebisawa M, Bochner BS, Georas SN, Schleimer RP. Eosinophil transendothelial migration induced by cytokines. I. Role of endothelial and eosinophil adhesion molecules in IL-1 beta-induced transendothelial migration. J Immunol. 1992 Dec 15; 149(12):4021-8.
  View in: PubMed
• Georas SN, Liu MC, Newman W, Beall LD, Stealey BA, Bochner BS. Altered adhesion molecule expression and endothelial cell activation accompany the recruitment of human granulocytes to the lung after segmental antigen challenge. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 1992 Sep; 7(3):261-9.
  View in: PubMed
• Chong KS, Nicolosi RJ, Rodger RF, Arrigo DA, Yuan RW, MacKey JJ, Georas S, Herbert PN. Effect of dietary fat saturation on plasma lipoproteins and high density lipoprotein metabolism of the rhesus monkey. J Clin Invest. 1987 Mar; 79(3):675-83.
  View in: PubMed