Research
Our laboratory’s primary goal is to define mechanisms of extracellular matrix (ECM) metabolism controlling tissue and organ homeostasis and regeneration. Accumulation of ECM in tissues is a feature of normal wound healing, but pathological persistence of excess ECM, also referred to as fibrosis, can interfere with tissue and organ function. Although fibrosis can resolve in certain instances, the pathways responsible for resolution of fibrosis are largely unknown. Furthermore, the regulatory elements that control degradation of pathological extracellular matrix by cells are also incompletely elucidated. My laboratory has a focus on understanding the normal regulation of extracellular matrix metabolism and how dysregulation of this system contributes to diseases of dysfunctional repair. This includes the study of normal lung development and aging, fibrotic diseases such as Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, and the cell biology of organs undergoing cyclic repair and remodeling, such as the uterus and cervix. We use in vivo mouse modeling, cell culture and organoid systems, and human genetic and molecular and cell biological techniques to examine these complex processes.