SUMMARY
Douglas G. Brownfield, Ph.D., studies lung development, repair and regeneration to advance the treatment of pulmonary disease. Using single-cell transcriptomics, genetically engineered mouse models and 3D organotypic cultures, Dr. Brownfield's laboratory maps the lung's cellular and molecular landscape at single-cell resolution over time and identifies regulators that direct healthy lung development.
Dr. Brownfield's multidisciplinary team applies these discoveries to determine whether regulatory pathways are reactivated after injury, are disrupted in disease, or can be harnessed to develop regenerative therapies that repair or replace damaged lung tissue.
Students and fellows with biological, engineering or medical backgrounds are welcome to inquire about opportunities in Dr. Brownfield's lab.
Focus areas
- Molecular and temporal regulation of cellular plasticity. While studying molecular signals that direct cell fate in the distal lung epithelium, Dr. Brownfield's laboratory discovered a window of cellular plasticity during which lung cells can change from one cell type to another. The lab's current research seeks to define the timing and molecular mechanisms underlying this process and determine how it contributes to lung repair and regeneration.
- Biophysical regulation of cell differentiation. Mechanical cues play an important role in lung development, but more research is needed to understand how these cues influence cells and the molecular signals that direct cell development. Dr. Brownfield's laboratory studies how the mechanical properties of individual cells are regulated during development and how these properties influence cell differentiation.
- Development of regenerative therapeutics. Using a novel engraftment model, the lab is actively testing findings from developmental studies to determine whether regulation of cellular plasticity can improve progenitor expansion in vitro as well as repair in vivo.
Significance to patient care
Many lung diseases develop when the processes that build and repair the lungs are disrupted. This can damage the tiny air sacs in the lungs, called alveoli, where oxygen enters the bloodstream and carbon dioxide is removed. Conditions such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pulmonary fibrosis affect these air sacs. By understanding how alveoli form and respond to injury, Dr. Brownfield aims to identify new treatments that help restore healthy lung tissue.
Professional highlights
- Recipient, K99/R00 NHLBI Pathway to Independence Award, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, 2016-present.
- Co-principal investigator, Regenerative Medicine Minnesota Research Award, Regenerative Medicine Minnesota, 2026.
- The Mark and Catherine Winkler Assistant Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, 2019-2021.
- Recipient, American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship, American Cancer Society, 2014-2016.
- Recipient, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, National Science Foundation, 2006-2009.