Patricia Janet Sime, M.D.

The Sime lab is focused on studying pulmonary disease and pathologic processes in the lung. Our 2 primary areas of focus include lung scarring, and smoking related diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Lung scarring, or pulmonary fibrosis, can be caused by environmental exposures such as silica, asbestos, and radiation, or develop of unknown reasons (Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis). We are interested in studying the cellular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis to identify novel therapeutic targets.

We are also interested in studying the effects of cigarette and biomass smoke exposure in the lung. Our lab is investigating the mechanisms by which cigarette smoke leads to lung pathologies such as COPD, and dampened anti-viral responses in the lung. Biomass smoke exposure is another common environmental exposure, especially in the developing world, that is associated with lung infection and disease. For our smoking-related projects, we utilize a state-of-the-art smoking facility in the MRBX to expose cells and mice to biomass or cigarette smoke.