Overview

  • Primary alveolar epithelial cells cultured on matrix-bonded malleable membranes and stretched at different rates and amplitudes.

    Primary alveolar epithelial cells cultured on matrix-bonded malleable membranes and stretched at different rates and amplitudes.
  • Cultured Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts after incubation with an NBD-analog of phosphatidylinositol

    Cultured Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts after incubation with an NBD-analog of phosphatidylinositol for 60 min at 7 degrees C. For further details, see J. Biol. Chem. 285 (1990) 5337-5340.
  • Normal human skin fibroblasts were incubated with 5 ?M BODIPY-Sphingomyelin

    Normal human skin fibroblasts were incubated with 5 ?M BODIPY-Sphingomyelin for 30 min at 4 degrees C, washed, and warmed for 10 min at 37 degrees C. Samples were then chilled to 4 degrees C, incubated with defatted BSA to remove any fluorescent lipid remaining at the plasma membrane, washed, and photographed. Each individual fluorescent puncta represents a endocytic vesicle.

We are a team of 41 physicians and doctoral-level scientists and 135 allied health staff caring for all aspects of the specialty of pulmonary and critical care medicine. We provide clinical evaluation, diagnostic, and treatment services to patients with health problems such as asthma, acute and chronic pulmonary emboli, emphysema, interstitial lung diseases, lung cancer, sarcoidosis, pulmonary vascular diseases, tuberculosis, granulomatous lung diseases, pulmonary vascular diseases, tuberculosis, fungal infections of the lung, and Wegener's granulomatosis.

Complete Pulmonary Function Laboratory, Sleep Disorders Center, Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program and Critical Care Service are available for our patients. A Bronchoscopy service provides diagnostic and interventional services for a wide range of pulmonary and bronchial pathology. Lung transplantation and lung volume reduction surgery for emphysema also are available.

Research

The Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine conducts comprehensive basic and clinical research aimed at better understanding the pathogenesis of respiratory diseases to enhance early diagnosis and improve treatment of these disorders. The pulmonary research efforts are centered in the Thoracic Diseases Research Unit (basic studies) and the Pulmonary Clinical Research Center (clinical investigations).

The Thoracic Diseases Research Unit (TDRU) is housed on Stabile 8. Basic science research within the unit addresses topics as diverse as lung defense against infection, processes in acute lung injury, mechanisms of lung fibrosis, vasculitis, lung repair, asthmatic response and lipid trafficking. The investigators of the TDRU collectively are funded by 16 NIH grants and numerous grants and contracts from foundations and philanthropic support. The investigators employ state of the art approaches to better understanding lung diseases including genomic and proteomic strategies, genetic approaches in yeast, and the full breadth of biochemical, molecular and cell biological methods. The TDRU currently provides a rich training ground for four graduate students and 12 postdoctoral fellows and is home to the NIH-supported Respiratory Biology Training Grant.

Clinical research studies are supported by the Pulmonary Clinical Research Center (PCRC) located in the Lanmark Center and E-18 Mayo. The PCRC provides essential infrastructure for clinical research within the Division. These functions include protocol management, study coordinator activity, support for IRB and other regulatory functions, and data management capabilities. Ongoing studies address important issues in diagnosis and treatment of lung diseases including asthma, COPD, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, vasculitis, Wegener's granulomatosis and lung cancer (screening, detection and treatment).