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Patrick Donohue presents at ATS and publishes first paper

Thursday, December 1, 2022

Congratulations to Dr. Patrick Donohue for presenting two posters at the 2022 ATS meeting in May, and publishing his first first-authored paper.  At the ATS meeting, he presented an abstract comparing the effects if different glucocorticoids on airway epithelial barrier function, using model epithelia grown in vitro.  He also presented preliminary results of the DITO study (Deep Inspiration with Tremoflo Oscillometry), which were recently published.  This study showed that deep breathing maneuvers have only transient effects on airways resistance and elastance, if performed just prior to oscillometry.

The effects of a deep breathing maneuver on standard airwave oscillometry measurements.  Donohue P, et al. Respir Med Res. 2022. Dec 6;83:100985.

Traci Pressley attends the Frontiers in Environmental Science and Health (FrESH) summer program

Friday, July 1, 2022

Congratulations to Toxicology graduate student Traci Pressley for attending the FrESH program at Morehouse College in Atlanta.  This week-long summer course consisted of daily lectures from leading experts, hands-on laboratory sessions, and active learning sessions on environmental health science topics that impact underrepresented minority communities.

Margaret Connolly invited to ICAN meeting and receives Department of Medicine Pilot Award

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

Kudos to Dr. Maggie Connolly for her timely research investigating how race neutral PFT interpretation strategies impact the diagnostic utility of spirometry.  Dr. Connolly presented her work at an oral abstract session at the May 2022 ATS meeting, and was also invited to present at the International Collaborative Asthma Network Young Researchers Forum.  She also received a DOM Pilot award to further her research, with co-Investigator Dr. Sandy Khurana, biostatistician Dr. Xueya Cai, and mentor Dr. Georas.

Pillars of Immunology review article

Friday, October 1, 2021

Dr. Georas published an invited review for the Pillars of Immunology series in the Journal of Immunology.  In a commentary titled “Inhaled Adjuvants and Eosinophilic Airway Inflammation in Asthma: Is a Little Bit of Lipopolysaccharide the Key to Allergen Sensitization?”, he described the groundbreaking paper by Stephanie Eisenbarth, published in J Exp Med in 2002, showing that low-doses of inhaled LPS prime for Th2 responses in mouse models of asthma. Drs. Georas and Eisenbarth engaged in a lively conversation with J Immunol editor Dr. Eugene Oltz in a Pillar Talk video

Tim Smyth awarded PhD thesis

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Congratulations to Tim Smyth, Ph.D. for successfully defending his thesis and being awarded a PhD in Toxicology!  Tim’s thesis project investigated the molecular mechanisms of epithelial barrier dysfunction caused by air pollution particles, and resulted in several publications including a comprehensive review (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34346824/).  Tim will be moving to the University of North Carolina for a post-doctoral fellowship. 

Tim Smyth Publishes his first paper “Diesel exhaust particle exposure reduces expression of the epithelial tight junction protein Tricellulin” in Particle Fibre Toxicology

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Congratulations to Tim Smyth for his first authored publication "Diesel exhaust particle exposure reduces expression of the epithelial tight junction protein Tricellulin", published in Particle Fibre Toxicology in October 2020. This research article reports the new finding that diesel exhaust particles lead to epithelial barrier dysfunction, and inhibit expression of the tight junction protein Tricellulin both in vitro and in vivo.

Read More: Tim Smyth Publishes his first paper “Diesel exhaust particle exposure reduces expression of the epithelial tight junction protein Tricellulin” in Particle Fibre Toxicology

Coordinating Coronavirus Research: Creating Options for Our Sickest COVID-19 Patients

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

When the first COVID-19 cases hit the University of Rochester Medical Center's ICU back in March of 2020, there were no proven treatments available, but experimental therapies were cropping up around the world. Quickly, a team of URMC clinicians and researchers mobilized to bring the most promising clinical trials - that address the broadest swath of patients' needs - to URMC. Since then, URMC has joined three clinical trials that provide extra treatment options for some of the sickest COVID-19 patients.

COVID-19 causes a wide range of outcomes: some infected people never show a single symptom, while many battle the disease for weeks in the ICU. The difference between those outcomes seems to lie in a careful balance of the immune response. In the beginning of the disease, the immune system helps fight off the virus. But for those who land in the hospital, this early, helpful immune response gives way to uncontrolled over-activation of the immune system, causing system-wide inflammation and severe complications.

The three COVID-19 inpatient clinical trials currently running at URMC attack the disease at both ends of this balance.

"Our goal has always been to promote effective therapies through clinical trials," said Martin Zand, M.D., Ph.D., senior associate dean for Clinical Research and co-director of the Clinical & Translational Science Institute. "Our team is working hard to make sure that the trials we bring to URMC have the greatest chance of benefiting our own patients, and significantly advancing the science of COVID-19 to benefit patients around the world."

Quieting Inflammation at All Ages

While researchers have high hopes that baricitinib can quell the over-exuberant immune activity of COVID-19, that trial is only open to patients who are 18 years old and up. Another trial, sponsored by Incyte Corp, is testing a very similar drug, called ruxolitinib, in patients as young as 12 who have very severe COVID-19 disease and need to be on a ventilator.

When the immune system runs amok in the late stages of COVID-19, the lining of the lungs can become leaky, allowing fluid to build up in the lungs' air sacs. This phenomenon, called acute respiratory distress syndrome, starves the body of oxygen and mechanical ventilation can even fail to rescue these patients.

The URMC team, led by Christopher Palma, M.D. and Steve Georas, M.D., expects to enroll up to 20 severely ill COVID-19 patients in the trial to see if ruxolitinib can keep them alive and get them off ventilators and out of the ICU sooner.

Read More: Coordinating Coronavirus Research: Creating Options for Our Sickest COVID-19 Patients

Georas, Mariani & Dean Awarded Grants

Monday, April 27, 2020

Congratulations to Lung Biology Program members Drs. Georas, Mariani and Dean who all received the following grants:

P.I.: Steve Georas, MD
NIH/NIAA

Award Number : 1 R01 AI144241-01A1

Title of Project: Novel role of protein kinase D in airway inflammation and antiviral immunity

Project Period: 3/13/20 -- 2/28/25?

P.I.: Tom Mariani, PhD

Agency: CTSI Pilot Project Program/NIH

Award Period: 7/1/20 -- 1/31/21

Total Award (TPC): $50,000

Title: Airway Biomarkers for Prediction of ARI Etiology (Internal Grant)

The overall goal of this project is to show that airway sampling will provide optimal diagnostic biomarkers for determining bacterial involvement in ARI.

P.I.: David Dean ,PhD

Agency: NIH/NHLBI

Award Period: 4/5/20- 3/31/24

Total Award (TPC): $2,298,764

Title: A multimodal delivery and treatment approach for Acute Lung Injury (R01)

This projects investigates how gene transfer of the b1 subunit of the Na,K-ATPase to the lung increases not only alveolar fluid clearance, but also improves alveolar-capillary barrier function by up regulating abundance and activity of tight and adherent junction complexes.

P.I.: David Dean, PhD

Agency: NIH/NIDDK

Award Period: 4/15/20 -- 3/31/23

Total Award (TPC): $1,588,524

Title: Gene therapy for GERD-associated esophageal epithelial barrier dysfunction (R01)

Gen transfer of the b1 subunit of the Na,K-ATPase can upregulate tight and adherence junctions abundance and activity in the lung. Since a hallmark of gastroeosphageal reflux disease (GERD) is reduced barrier function in the distal esophagus (which may play a role in ultimate transition to esophageal adenocarcinoma), this project investigates whether gene delivery of the b1 subunit of the Na,K-ATPase can restore esophageal barrier integrity and therefore reduce GERD.

P.I.: David Dean, PhD

Agency: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Award Period: 2-1-20 -- 1-31-23

Total Award (TPC): $840,000

Title: : Electroporation-mediated gene delivery to the airways to treat Cystic Fibrosis (grant)

This project investigates whether electroporation-mediated gene transfer can be used to effectively sustain long-term expression of CFTR in animal models. If successful, the project may lead to the development of new therapies designed to treat people with cystic fibrosis.

Medical Student Gordon Wong presents at the annual URMC Medical School poster session

Monday, October 21, 2019

Georas nad Wong

Dr. Georas (left) and Gordon Wong

Medical Student Gordon Wong presented a poster at the annual URMC Medical School poster session, describing his summer research project. Gordon studied how protein kinase D regulates airway inflammation and epithelial barrier integrity in mouse models of airway inflammation and viral infections. He made some very exciting discoveries, working with graduate student Janelle Veazey, specifically elucidating how protein kinase D controls the recruitment of neutrophils to the lungs.

Janelle Veazey Receives Outstanding Student Mentor Award

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Veazey

Janelle Veazey

Immunology Graduate Student Janelle Veazey received the Outstanding Student Mentor Award at the School of Medicine and Dentistry Convocation Ceremony on Wednesday, September 4th, Janelle was selected by the faculty of the Graduate Program in Microbiology & Immunology, in recognition of her outstanding commitment and dedication to mentoring undergraduate or graduate students. Congratulations Janelle!

Dr. Georas named the P.I. of Pulmonary T32 Training Grant

Monday, July 1, 2019

On July 1 2019, Dr. Georas became the P.I. of the NIH/NHLBI sponsored Pulmonary T32 Training Grant, replacing Dr. Patricia Sime. Dr. Michael O'Reilly, Professor of Pediatrics and Environmental Medicine, became co-P.I. The Rochester Pulmonary T32 Training Grant is one of the longest continually-funded training grants in the U.S. dedicated to pulmonary research. Drs. Georas and O'Reilly are excited to continue the tradition of excellence in mentorship and training of the next generation of researchers in lung biology and pulmonary medicine.

EHSC Faculty Attend 2019 Center Directors Meeting in Iowa City

Friday, June 21, 2019

EHSC photo

The 2019 EHSC Center Directors Meeting was hosted by the University of Iowa in Iowa City on June 20, 21, 2019. University of Rochester's Environmental Health Sciences Center faculty, Irfan Rahman, PhD, CEC Director Katrina Korfmacher, PhD, IHSFC Co-Director Steve Georas, MD, Center Director Paige Lawrence, PhD, and new Center member Daniel Croft, MD, MPH, as well as Center Administrator Pat Noonan Sullivan attended the meeting.

Each faculty member played a role in the meeting, contributing expertise of their work. Rahman spoke on Human health studies of E-cigarette use at the meeting. Discussants included Dana Haine, MS from UNC and Judith Zelikoff, PhD, from NYU, moderated by Alejandro Comellas, MD. Katrina Korfmacher facilitated sessions on policy engagement by CECs and report back of research results to participants and communities. At a break out session on translational research in environmental health sciences, Georas shared the centers experience with the highly successful IHSFC Translational Mini-Pilot Program. Croft presented a poster on his research showing an association between air pollution exposure and hospital admissions for respiratory viral infections.

The 2020 EHSC Center Directors Meeting will be hosted by Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan July 22nd- 24th, 2020.

Rahman

posters

Janelle Veazey Receives F31 National Research Service Award From NIH

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Immunology graduate student Janelle Veazey, has received an F31 National Research Service Award from the NIH. This pre-doctoral fellowship will support her research investigating a new role for airway epithelial protein kinase D in anti-viral immunity.

Congratulations Janelle!

Dr. Georas joins the NIH Precision Interventions for Severe and Exacerbation Prone Asthma (PrecISE) Network

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Dr. Georas has joined the NIH Precision Interventions for Severe and Exacerbation Prone Asthma (PrecISE) Network. This new NIH initiative will establish a network of 10 Clinical Centers in the U.S. conducting innovative research using adaptive clinical trials. Dr. Georas serves as Steering Committee chair, with co-chair Dr. Rosalind Wright.

Smyth wins Best Poster award

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Smyth Photo

Tim Smyth

Congratulations to second year Toxicology graduate student Tim Smyth for winning an award for his poster and presentation at the annual Toxicology Retreat. Tim's poster was entitled "Diesel exhaust particles disrupt epithelial barrier function by altering tricellin expression".