October 2009 Newsletter

Thomas Mariani, Ph.D.

Premature infant morbidity and mortality often results from pulmonary complications, primarily insufficient lung maturation or alveolar formation. Likewise, many adult lung diseases involve obliteration of the distal respiratory structure. With the advent of clinical means to dramatically improve pre-term infant survival, there has been a growing appreciation of a relationship between developmental complications and susceptibility to chronic lung disease. The broad objectives of Dr. Mariani's laboratory are to identify the genetic mechanisms of susceptibility to chronic lung diseases, particularly focusing upon their developmental antecedents and the influence of environmental factors. Dr. Mariani's research program focuses upon defining regulatory networks involved in lung development and maturation, and which may be perturbed in diseased states. His laboratory uses a combination of animal modeling research and studies of human subjects.