News & Spotlights
Kilachand Award for crystal ribcage studies of pneumonia
Drs. Hadi Nia and Jay Mizgerd have together received a 2023 Rajen Kilachand Fund for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering award. This provides 3 years of funding, beginning in October 2023, for them and their teams to help illuminate (literally!) the immune response in the lungs against infectious microbes. By... More
Tweaking Host Cells to Better Fight Tuberculosis
Dr. Igor Kramnik has led a study published in Science Advances about helping host cells to better resist infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Because virulent Mtb infection causes tuberculosis (TB), guiding cells to fight this microbe could potentially curb the spread and severity of this disease. Dr. Kramnik and team... More
BU Researchers Describe Rebuilding, Regenerating Lung Cells
This week, Pulmonary Center researchers from the Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM) report their successes in developing new techniques to implant engineered cells into damaged lung tissue. Such breakthroughs could offer potential treatments for lung conditions like emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, and COVID-19. The studies, which outline the process of engineering... More
Podcast episode featuring Fellow Dr. Lauren Kearney
Dr. Lauren Kearney, third year pulmonary fellow, was joined by Dr. Katie Steiling and Dr. Chris Reardon to discuss an interesting case, highlight our pulmonary fellowship program, and share some research efforts to improve health equity. They were featured in an episode of Pulm PEEPs, from their Fellows’ Case Files... More
New RO1: Molecular Pathomechanisms of Legionellosis
In late June, we were delighted to learn that Dr. Markus Bosmann received funding for his new R01 'Molecular Pathomechanisms of Legionellosis'. Over the next four years, Dr. Bosmann will use this grant to study Legionella. Legionella are facultative, intracellular bacteria residing in aquatic environments from which contaminated inhaled aerosols cause... More
2023 Kayla Bell Citizen Award Winner
The Pulmonary Center is happy to announce Mary Lou Beermann as the winner of the 2023 Kayla Bell Pulmonary Center Citizenship Award! Mary Lou Beermann Lab Manager, BU Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM) Mary Lou was selected as this year's recipient of the award for their exceptional contributions to our research community. Their... More
Trainee Triumphs
Several of our current or recent trainees have received exciting news. Congratulations to the following for these fellowship or faculty transition awards: "Microbial Dysbiosis and Epithelial Dysfunction in Vitamin A-deficient Lungs" F31 Predoctoral Fellowship, NIH Date of Award: 2/20/2023 Kiloni Quiles-Franco PhD Candidate - Molecular and Translational Medicine Pulmonary Center and Section of Computational Biomedicine Mentor: Felicia... More
Jerome S. Brody, MD
Our Pulmonary Center community is heartbroken by the loss of Jerry Brody, who passed away peacefully on January 22, 2023, at his home in Boston while surrounded by family, after a brave battle against Alzheimer's disease. He was 88 years old. Jerry meant so much to us here at BU and... More
CRISPR interference interrogation of COPD GWAS genes
This project developed to address limitations in our understanding of the genetic factors that predispose a subset of individuals exposed to environmental injury to develop COPD, a major contributor to morbidity and mortality worldwide. While genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have now identified 82 variants across the genome as significantly associated... More
A Multimodal iPSC Platform for Cystic Fibrosis Drug Testing
In 2022, the major challenge in cystic fibrosis is developing treatments for individuals who do not respond to highly effective modulator therapy. These individuals have mutations that lead to no residual CFTR protein. In vitro models have a proven track record in developing effective treatments for CF patients however access... More