Amal Amer, MD, PhD
|
B. cenocepacia, Innate Immunity
Dr. Amer's laboratory focuses on innate immune response of macrophages to Legionella pneumophila and Burkholderia cenocepacia, microbial pathogenesis, host-pathogen interaction, autophagy, NOD-like receptors, non-apoptotic functions of caspases and the inflammasome complex. |
|
Michael Bailey, PhD
|
GI Microbiota
Michael Bailey, PhD, is a Principal Investigator in the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Ohio State University. Dr. Bailey has nearly 20 years of experience studying bidirectional interactions between host physiology and the microbes that naturally reside within the gastrointestinal tract (i.e., the gut microbiota). Dr. Bailey’s studies were among the first to show that stressful situations can lead to changes in the composition of the gut microbiota and his current studies are now focused on the impact that changes to gut microbiota composition have on the functioning of the immune system and on nervous system activity. |
|
Lauren Bakaletz, PhD
|
Mucosal Immunity, H. influenzae
Lauren O. Bakaletz, PhD, is a principal investigator in and the director of the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Tillie E. Coleman Endowed Chair in Pediatric Research. She is a professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and of Otolaryngology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. The research program of the Bakaletz Lab is focused on determining the molecular mechanisms that underlie polymicrobial infections of the respiratory tract, with a primary emphasis on otitis media or middle ear infections, a highly prevalent pediatric disease worldwide. |
|
Megan Ballinger, PhD
|
Airway Inflammation
My lab is interested in investigating the mechanisms by which innate immunity protects the lung against infectious and non-infectious injury and inflammation. Currently, I am investigating the role of macrophage in regulating the initiation and propagation of pulmonary fibrosis. |
|
Prosper Boyaka, PhD
|
Mucosal Immunity and Microbiota
Research interests include innate regulation of mucosal immune responses, adjuvants and musoal vaccines, mucosal immunity and allergy, and microbiota. |
|
Rodney Britt, PhD
|
Airway Biology
Although an effective in suppressing inflammation, corticosteroids are largely ineffective in preventing the pathological and functional changes in airway disease. Consequentially, asthmatic patients insensitive to corticosteroids have difficulty managing symptoms and experience greater disease burden. Dr. Britt’s lab studies how airway inflammation affects corticosteroid insensitivity in airway disease, while developing novel strategies to improve corticosteroid sensitivity and alleviate asthma. |
|
Patrick Collins, PhD
|
Microbial Infection and Immunity
Dr. Collins' research focuses on genomic mechanisms that balance immune development and disease. In this regard, he has two primary research programs: A) the genomic regulators of human innate lymphocytes, which provide surveillance for metastasis and clear hematological malignancies; and B) the mechanisms that stabilize DNA breaks during adaptive lymphocyte development, and thereby prevent end disassociation and oncogenic recombination. |
|
Estelle Cormet-Boyaka, PhD
|
CF Airway Physiology
Research interests include Epithelial cell homeostasis and their role in inflammatory diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis and COPD, Epithelial cell responses to environmental stimuli such as drugs, pollutants, and viral or bacterial pathogens, Protein-protein interaction and regulation of protein trafficking, Effect of pollutants on immune responses, and Intestinal epithelial cells and gut flora interaction. |
|
Ian Davis, PhD
|
Airway Inflammation
Since 2001, my primary research focus has been on the pathophysiologic effects of pulmonary viral infections (hantaviruses, respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza A viruses). In particular, I pioneered investigation of the impact of these pathogens on respiratory epithelial ion transport, alveolar fluid clearance, lung mechanics, and nucleotide signaling in vivo and developed novel techniques for measuring acute lung injury severity in mice. Over the past 9 years as an independent investigator, I have extended my studies to focus on development of new therapeutics for viral acute lung injury, the pathogenesis of viral exacerbations of asthma and cystic fibrosis, and the effects of viral infections on lung mechanics and pulmonary responses to b-adrenergic agonists and glucocorticoids. This research program has resulted in funding awards from the Parker B. Francis Families Foundation, NCRR, the American Lung Association, the American Heart Association, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, NIAID, and NHLBI. My current studies focus on the mechanistic role of alveolar type II epithelial cells and alveolar macrophages in the pathogenesis of influenza-induced acute lung injury, using both murine and primary human airway epithelial cell models. Specifically, I am interested in the impact of influenza infection on the respiratory epithelial cell and alveolar macrophage transcriptome and metabolome. The goal of these studies is to identify novel host determinants of influenza disease severity that can be targeted therapeutically to prevent, retard, or attenuate influenza-induced acute lung injury. |
|
Steven Goodman, PhD
|
CF Host-Pathogen Interactions
Dr. Goodman is a principal investigator in the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis. His research focuses on gene regulation in biofilms, bacterial surface detection and attachment, horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and metagenomics, and bacterial histones. |
|
Luanne Hall-Stoodley, PhD
|
M. abscessus, Innate Immunity
Dr. Hall-Stoodley's research focuses on two strategies that pathogenic bacteria use to persist in the host and cause chronic infections in the human respiratory tract: 1) biofilm development (adherent and/or aggregated bacteria associated with mucosal epithelia) and/or, 2) intracellular residence in host cells. |
|
Stephen Kirkby, MD
|
CF Care and Transplant
Stephen Kirkby, MD, is the Medical Director of the Lung and Heart-Lung Transplant Programs at Nationwide Children's Hospital (NCH) and is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Kirkby graduated from Penn State University College of Medicine. He completed his residency training in internal medicine and pediatrics at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUMC) and Nationwide Children's Hospital. He then completed fellowship training in adult pulmonary/critical care medicine and pediatric pulmonary medicine. He is board-certified in pediatric pulmonary medicine, adult pulmonary medicine, critical care medicine and internal medicine. Dr. Kirkby serves as the Program Director of the Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship at NCH, as well as Director of the Lung Transplant Fellowship at OSUMC. Dr. Kirkby's areas of research focus on clinical outcomes in lung transplantation and cystic fibrosis (CF). His main clinical interests include lung transplantation, CF and other congenital lung diseases, pulmonary hypertension in advanced lung disease, and treatment of unusual pulmonary infections. |
|
Benjamin Kopp, MD, MPH
|
CF Host-Pathogen Interaction
Dr. Kopp is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Principal Investigator in the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Co-Director of the Cure Cystic Fibrosis Columbus Immune Core, and Director of Pulmonary Physician Research. The Kopp laboratory focuses on host-pathogen interactions that impact chronic respiratory diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF) and lung disease related to sickle cell. The two main areas of this research include how immune cells called macrophages fail to regulate infection in chronic lung diseases as well as elucidating biomarkers/pathways of early inflammatory airway disease. We use the information gained to help develop novel therapeutics and targets to allow for improved killing of bacteria and regulation of hyper-inflammatory signaling in chronic respiratory diseases. Dr. Kopp is a graduate of The Ohio State University School of Medicine and received his MPH from The Ohio State University College of Public Health. |
|
Katelyn Krivchenia, MD
|
CF Infant Care
Katelyn Krivchenia, MD, is a member of the Section of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor of pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. She has been with The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Nationwide Children’s Hospital for her medical school, Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residency and pediatric pulmonology fellowship training. She is the Associate Director of the Infant Cystic Fibrosis and Newborn Screening Program. Her clinical interests include management of cystic fibrosis across the ages, bronchoscopy, and the management of severe chronic lung disease in children. Her research interests include the socioeconomic and emotional challenges surrounding care of infants with cystic fibrosis. |
|
Christian Lauber, PhD
|
Microbiome
Christian Lauber, PhD, is a broadly trained microbial ecologist interested in how microbiome composition relates to microbiome function and the delivery of ecosystem services in natural and host associated environments. Chris obtained his PhD in Biology from the University of New Mexico and was a post doc in the labs of Dr. Noah Fierer and Dr. Rob Knight at the University of Colorado before moving to Switzerland to work for Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences and École Polytechnique Fédéral de Lausanne. His current research aims to leverage next generation sequencing of the microbiome to support best outcomes for children. |
|
Yusen Liu, PhD
|
Innate Immunity and Signaling
Yusen Liu, PhD, is a Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Liu’s NIH-funded research program focuses on the role of MAP kinase phosphatases in host defense against microbial infection. His research has established MAP kinase phosphatase (MKP)-1 as one of the most important negative regulators of inflammation and a potential target for a variety of inflammatory diseases. |
|
Namal Liyanage, PhD
|
Mucosal Immnology
Dr. Liyanage’s major research interests are to explore novel strategies to prevent and control chronic viral infections such as HIV through better understanding of the innate and adaptive immune responses. His recent studies have shown the critical role of mucosal innate lymphoid cells and natural killer cells in the prevention of SIV/HIV infections. |
|
Landon Locke, PhD
|
Imaging
The overarching goal of my research program and professional research career is to build a translational and cross-disciplined program involving bioimaging and infectious disease studies. I am leading two projects that address major challenges in microbial-driven diseases, including: (1) directly targeting/imaging the invading pathogen using self-targeted engineered probes and (2) understanding the determinants of the cellular response to microbial triggers in the form of immune cell structures known as granulomas in health and disease for improved diagnostics and therapies. |
|
Matthew Long, PhD
|
Accute Lung Injury, Leukocyte Biology
The main objectives of the laboratory are to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating pulmonary inflammation and its resolution, with the goal of developing anti-inflammatory or dual anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory therapeutics. We currently focus on two primary lung diseases: 1) Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and, 2) Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), and are specifically interested in understanding how MAPK signaling pathways regulate leukocyte responses to inflammation and infection. Our laboratory utilizes both in vitro and in vivo models in our experimental design to investigate the regulators of inflammation. |
|
Karen McCoy, MD
|
CF Care
Karen S. McCoy, MD, is chief of the Division of Pulmonary Medicine at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Nationwide Foundation Endowed Chair in Pulmonary Medicine and professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Her clinical interests focus on managing patients of all ages with cystic fibrosis (CF) and pediatric asthma. Dr. McCoy's research interests revolve around clinical outcomes and trials in cystic fibrosis and asthma. She is the principal investigator for the CF Therapeutic Development Center. She is the director of the CF Center, and medical director for Infant and Non-infant Pulmonary Function, and Respiratory Care. |
|
Maria Asuncion Mejias, MD, PhD
|
CF Host-Pathogen Interactions
Maria Asuncion Mejias, MD, PhD is a principal investigator in the Center for Vaccines and Immunity at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital. She is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and faculty from the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Her research program focuses on the immunopathogenesis of respiratory viral infections and the mechanisms of viral-host interaction using a multidisciplinary approach, with particular emphasis on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. |
|
Mark Mitton-Fry, PhD
|
Antimicrobial Development
Dr. Mitton-Fry’s research team is dedicated to inventing cures for multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. The lab uses the tools of synthetic medicinal chemistry to design and prepare innovative new molecules, and we collaborate broadly to evaluate their biological, pharmaceutical, and toxicological properties. Dr. Mitton-Fry also enjoys teaching students at all levels about antibacterial therapies. |
|
Chris Montgomery, MD
|
S. aureus, Immunology
Christopher P. Montgomery, MD, is a Critical Care physician at Nationwide Children’s and a Principal Investigator in the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis at the Research Institute. He is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Montgomery received his Bachelor of Arts from Kalamazoo College and graduated from Wayne State University School of Medicine with high distinction. He completed his residency in Pediatrics and fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at the University of Chicago Hospitals. Dr. Montgomery’s research focuses on the pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus infections in children, with an emphasis on how the bacterium interacts with the host immune response. |
|
Santiago Partida-Sanchez, PhD
|
Ion Channels, CF Pathogenesis
My laboratory is interested in the study of immune cell recruitment induced by infection and/or inflammation. Our research projects are focused on molecular analyses of chemokine receptor-mediated G-protein-linked signaling and calcium influx in neutrophils and DCs. We are conducting experiments to study regulation of calcium influx mediated by CD38-catalyzed metabolites and the ADPR-activated calcium channel TRPM2 in inflammatory cells. We would like to assess whether CD38 inhibiting drugs, CD38-derived antagonists, and/or TRPM2 channel inhibitors, have potential therapeutic use to block undesired chronic inflammatory responses, or harmful T cell responses leading to autoimmunity. This knowledge could allow us to design new strategies for clinical intervention in several immunological disorders, as well as inflammatory and infectious diseases. |
|
Mark Peeples, PhD
|
Airway Epithelial Biology
The Peeples’ lab is working to understand respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the most prominent cause of hospitalization for children. Starting with “progenitor” cells that they isolate from airways, they develop mucus-producing and cilia-waving cells. The RSV attachment glycoprotein (G) attaches RSV to ciliated cells and they have identified a virus receptor on these cells. After attaching to the cell, the viral membrane fuses with the target cell membrane, spilling the viral genome into the cell to initiate infection. They are studying both the attachment by the G protein and the fusion, driven by the RSV fusion (F) protein. F dramatically refolds to reach out to the cell membrane, grab it, and continuing to refold, pulling the two membranes together and causing them to fuse. They are working to identify the “trigger” point on the RSV F protein and what interaction initiates this refolding. In collaboration with six other labs, they are developing novel live attenuated vaccine candidates for RSV, the most common cause of hospitalization for young children in the US. They recently published their first candidate RSV vaccine, finding that a low dose of vaccine efficiently induced antibodies and was highly protective in animals. |
|
Dehua Pei, PhD
|
Peptide Delivery Strategies
Dehua Pei obtained his B.S. Degree in Chemistry from Wuhan University, China in 1986 and his Ph.D. Degree in organic chemistry from University of California, Berkeley in 1991, working under the direction of Peter G. Schultz. After a postdoctoral stint with Christopher T. Walsh at Harvard Medical School, he joined the faculty at OSU in 1995 as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2001 and to Professor in 2004. |
|
Murugesan Rajaram, PhD, FAHA
|
Innate Immunity and Cardiac Dysfunction
The central goal of our research program is to understand the molecular mechanism of host response to microbial infections of humans, particularly bacterial and viral diseases, using animal and in vitro models. Our research has focused on two major areas: 1. Understand the molecular mechanism and pathogenesis of cardiac dysfunction cause by pneumonia causing bacterial and viral infectious agents. 2. Define the mechanism of Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug resistance. |
|
Susan Reynolds, PhD
|
Progenitor Cell Biology
Susan D. Reynolds, PhD's research focuses on tissue stem cells that maintain the conducting airway epithelium. Previous work identified a basal cell subtype that functioned as a tissue stem cell in mice. Current research translates these findings to human airways and seeks to use the tissue stem cell as therapy for lung disease, including Cystic Fibrosis. |
|
Richard Robinson, PhD
|
Adaptive Immunity
Dr. Robinson's lab performs basic and translational research to better understand host immunity to mycobacterial pathogens—specifically, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) and Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM)—using animal models of TB and NTM infection, as well as immune profiling of tissues donated by individuals affected by these pathogens. In addition to his research efforts, he also teaches as part of the undergraduate, graduate and medical curricula, and serves as Associate Director the OSU BSL3 facility. |
|
Ala Shaikhkalil, MD
|
CF GI Dysfunction
Ala Shaikhkhalil, MD, is an attending pediatric gastroenterologist and physician nutrition specialist at Nationwide Children's. She is also an associate professor of clinical pediatrics at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. In addition to her training in pediatric gastroenterology at Nationwide Children's, Dr. Shaikhkhalil completed a fellowship in pediatric nutrition at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Her specialty interest is in nutrition and its role in Children's health and growth, in addition to the role nutrition plays in various disease processes including inflammatory bowel disease, cystic fibrosis, and celiac disease . Dr. Shaikhkhalil participates in multidisciplinary clinics for children and adolescents with nutrition-related bone health concerns and cystic fibrosis. Her research focuses on nutrition education at all levels of medical training including culinary medicine, gastrointestinal and nutrition manifestation of cystic fibrosis and inflammatory bowel disease, and the role of zinc in growth and body composition of extremely preterm infants. |
|
Matthew Sullivan
|
Phage Ecology and Therapeutics
Dr. Matthew B. Sullivan's research focus is on the co-evolution of microbe and virus (phage) in environmental populations, as well as the impact of marine phages on microbe-mediated global biogeochemistry. Genomics and model-systems-based experimentation revealed that cyanobacterial phages often contain host photosynthesis genes, which are expressed during infection and act as a diversity generator for their numerically-dominant, globally-distributed photosynthetic hosts. Using a genomic and metagenomic toolkit, we query 'wild' viral populations to identify important hypotheses that can be evaluated using model-system approaches with appropriate phage isolates. The Sullivan lab is also developing single-cell assays to investigate questions that are critical for modeling and predicting the impacts of phage-host interactions in the wild. Specifically, these include gaining an understanding of the in situ host range of phage isolates, the metabolic capacity of to-date uncultured phage-host systems, the impacts of host growth status on phage production, and the fraction of microbial cells that are infected in wild populations. |
|
Fred Woodley
|
CF GI Dysfunction
Dr. Woodley is a senior scientist/principal investigator in the Division of Gastroenterology (GI) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH), an assistant professor of pediatrics at The Ohio State University, and an adjunct professor of microbiology at Columbus State Community College. He holds a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology and a MS in Microbiology/Biology. His clinical responsibilities at NCH include performing and interpreting hydrogen breath tests for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and carbohydrate malabsorption, and analyzing and interpreting multichannel intraluminal impedance tracings to identify patients who have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Dr. Woodley has co-authored two book chapters, published numerous research articles and countless abstracts, and presented his research findings at both national and international meetings. He has been a member of the GI Division at NCH since 2004. |
|
Danial Wozniak, PhD
|
P. aeruginosa
Dr. Wozniak’s research activities are focused on the pathogenesis of several bacteria that cause chronic, devastating infections in humans. In chronic airway infections and wounds. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Acinetobacter are the most common nosocomial pathogens isolated and are consistently associated with high mortality rates. Resources spent treating such infections in the U.S. are estimated at ~ $25 billion annually. These infections are extremely difficult to control since the bacteria exhibit a biofilm-mode of growth rendering them resistant to antimicrobials and phagocytic cells. Collectively, our research activities are focused on: |
|