Elma Kurtagic
Graduate Student
Department of Biochemistry
Nugent Lab
Boston University School of Medicine
Silvio Conte Building, K421
72 E. Concord Street
Boston, MA 02118
Lab Phone: 617-638-4043
Fax: 617-638-5339
Email: elmak@bu.edu
Education
B.S., Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Research Interests
My research project focuses on identifying the possible link between Neutrophil Elastase (NE) mediated tissue injury and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF). Upon tissue injury elastase is released from neutrophils as a part of the innate immune system, which leads to both activation of tissue repair and inflammation. Excessive NE activity and VEGF signaling have independently been implicated in the development and progression of chronic disease (i.e., pulmonary emphysema, atherosclerosis, arthritis, etc). Our findings suggest that the tissue response to NE-mediated injury might involve the generation of diffusible VEGF fragments that stimulate inflammatory cell recruitment and activation via VEGF receptor 1.
Publications
Elma Kurtagic, Mark P. Jedrychowski, Matthew A. Nugent. Neutrophil elastase cleaves VEGF to generate a VEGF fragment with altered activity. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 296: L534-L546, 2009.
