Our Research
Understanding Brain-Body Communication at the Molecular, Cellular and Systems Level
Our lab investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying sensory surveillance systems within the airway—specifically, how they detect environmental cues and communicate with the brain. We have uncovered a critical yet underappreciated aspect of sensory surveillance: while the airway epithelium was long viewed as merely a physical barrier, we've shown it functions as an active sensory interface. Some epithelial cells can detect genuine threats and trigger reflexes, like cough, that protect our airways. Our work aims to identify novel sensory capabilities of epithelial cells and map the intricate crosstalk between epithelial cell populations, airway-innervating neurons, and the immune system across development, aging, regeneration, and disease states.
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Complementing this cellular and molecular focus, we explore the psychophysical dimensions of respiratory sensation—how physical stimuli in the airways translate into conscious perception and influence behavior and emotional state. Together, these approaches reveal how the body transforms environmental information into protective action, from the molecular scale to conscious experience.
Airway Sensation: from Receptors to Circuits
Using Animal Models
We are interested in identifying, characterizing and manipulating epithelial cells involved in sensation. For each cell type we seek to understand (1) what they detect, (2) how they detect it, (3) how signals are transduced and the role of ion channels, (4) what molecules are released, and (5) who do they target? The overall goal is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the molecular and cellular logic of airway sensation by the epithelium.
Molecular and Cellular Basis of Airway Sensation
In Humans
We are now extending these questions to human airways. Our goal is to develop methods for isolating and characterizing specific epithelial cell types, allowing us to examine how airway epithelium changes across the lifespan, in respiratory disease, and following environmental exposures such as wildfire or cigarette smoke. We are particularly interested in whether these methods can uncover previously unrecognized mechanisms driving chronic cough, potentially opening new avenues for therapeutic intervention.
Psychophysical aspects of airway sensation
We are developing behavioral paradigms to investigate conscious awareness of respiratory stimuli and reflexes. Our aim is to understand how the brain encodes the urge to cough and sneeze and how we learn to suppress these reflexes.