Efferocytosis is defined by the clearance of apoptotic cells by phagocytes, like macrophages, through a finely tuned, multistep process. If not removed in a timely manner, apoptotic cells accumulate and can undergo secondary necrosis, which releases proinflammatory intracellular components and induces inflammation. This project aims to unravel the underlying mechanisms behind impaired macrophage efferocytosis in sepsis, pneumonia, and acute lung injury to identify potential therapeutic targets.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally, and includes stroke, atherosclerosis, and myocardial infarction, among others. Lymphopenia, on the other hand, is characterized by a reduction in peripheral blood B and T lymphocyte counts. Emerging clinical studies have shown that lymphopenia correlates with worse cardiac function and poor outcomes in patients with myocardial infarction (MI). This project aims to elucidate how cardiac ischemia induces lymphopenia and determine whether targeting lymphopenia can effectively improve post-ischemic cardiac repair. 

This research project focuses on the mechanisms that connect lung infection and brain dysfunction. Our investigators study the detrimental effects that the immune response, triggered by lung bacterial infection, has on the highly specialized brain endothelial cells that constitute the blood-brain barrier. This project utilizes in vitro approaches using primary mouse brain endothelial cells and an in vivo mouse model of lung infection by intratracheal administration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cultures.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano-sized membrane-bound particles containing biologically active cargo molecules. We comprehensively analyze the plasma EVs from burn patients and healthy subjects, characterizing their size distribution, concentration, temporal changes, cell origins, and cargo protein contents. The goal of this project is to investigate the biomarker roles of burn EVs in reflecting burn severity and predicting the clinical outcomes for burn patients. In addition, we evaluate the pathological roles of EVs in burn-induced systemic inflammation.