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Name: Mahmoud Abou Alaiwa, MD |
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Name: Richard C. Ahrens, MD Title: Professor Focus Area: Dr. Ahrens has significant clinical research experience in the evaluation of pharmacologic treatments for CF, as well as in the clinical care of CF patients. His primary interests are: 1) the development of novel study designs to meet challenges in the pharmacologic management of CF pulmonary disease, and 2) in vivo and in vitro assessment of aerosol drug delivery to the lung. Email: richard-ahrens@uiowa.edu Office Number: (319) 356-4050 Campus Address: E-110-G GH |
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Name: Alejandro Comellas, MD Title: Clinical Associate Professor Focus Area: Dr. Comellas is Associate Director for Clinical Research Support in the UI Institute for Clinical and Translational Science. He has a broad background in clinical pulmonary medicine, specifically mechanisms of lung injury and repair, with an emphasis on distal lung progenitor cells and the development of strategies to improve antimicrobial activity in the airway. Email: Alejandro-comellas@uiowa.edu Office Number: 319-384-6484 Campus Address: W219-B GH |
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Name: John F. Engelhardt, PhD Title: Professor Focus Area: Dr. Engelhardt’s research includes: 1) study of the molecular and cellular pathogenesis of CF lung disease and CF-related diabetes, 2) development of transgenic ferret animal models in which to study stem cell biology in the context of CF, including ferrets designed for lineage tracing of islet progenitors in the CF pancreas, and 3) development of gene therapies for CF lung and pancreatic disease. His laboratory is adept at the construction and use of many types of recombinant viral vectors (including adenovirus, AAV, lentivirus, retrovirus, and bocavirus). He also is PD/PI of a team science R24 that focuses on the pathogenesis of CF-related diabetes in CF ferrets and includes a clinical trial in CF infants and children <6 yrs of age. This grant has been converted into an NIDDK RC2 (application under review). Email: john-engelhardt@uiowa.edu Office Number: (319) 335-7744 Campus Address: 1-111 BSB |
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Name: Anthony Fischer, MD, PhD Title: Assistant Professor Focus Area: Dr. Fischer is an Assistant Professor studying how mucins secreted by submucosal glands initiate the mucociliary transport of particles in the airway and how CF-associated alterations to mucin structure affect clearance and infection. His interests also include CF-associated adaptations of bacteria that allow for their persistence in the airway following CFTR modulator therapy. Email: anthony-fischer @uiowa.edu Office Number: 319-335-6992 Campus Address: 6312A PBDB |
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Name: Eric A. Hoffman, PhD Title: Professor Focus Area: Dr. Hoffman’s research is driven by questions pertaining to lung physiology, and by the development of imaging software and equipment designed specifically for the study of these questions. He uses single and multi-spectral multidetector row spiral CT imaging methodology to objectively follow human lung pathology and pathophysiology, with a particular emphasis on lung diseases involving inflammation. His expertise has facilitated the evaluation of lung pathology and bacterial clearance in animal models of CF. Email: eric-hoffman@uiowa.edu Office Number: (319) 356-1381 Campus Address: C748 GH |
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Name: Douglas Hornick, MD Title: Clinical Professor Focus Area: Dr. Hornick is Director of the Adult CF Center and his participation in this P30 will facilitate the acquisition of specimens from CF patients and the recruitment of subjects for clinical studies. Dr. Hornick is also active in running clinical trials in CF patients, including testing of the efficacy of CFTR modulators and gallium nitrate in CF patients.. Email: douglas-hornick@uiowa.edu Office Number: 319-356-8266 Campus Address: C-33C GH |
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Name: Yumi Imai, MD, PhD Title: Associate Professor Focus Area: Dr. Imai aims to understand the mechanism underlying pancreatic b-cell failure in type 2 diabetes, including how lipid droplet proteins optimize intracellular lipid metabolism to support insulin secretion and mechanisms of islet inflammation. Her group discovered that the lipid droplet protein perilipin 5 plays an important role in supporting insulin secretion, and that it does so by regulating the metabolism of b-cell lipids. Her laboratory is defining the molecular targets of perilipin 5 act in augmenting insulin secretion, and her recruitment to the Center adds considerable strength to its CFRD research, given the links between pancreatic inflammation/fibrosis/adipogenesis and islet function in the CF ferret model. Email: yumi-imai@uiowa.edu Office Number: 319-335-4844 Campus Address: 3318 PBDB |
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Name: Julia Klesney-Tait, MD Title: Associate Professor Focus Area: Dr. Klesney-Tait’s research focuses on the role of neutrophils in the regulation of inflammation and sepsis. In particular, she is interested in triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (TREM-1), which is a component of the innate immune system, is expressed on neutrophils, and amplifies proinflammatory signaling and neutrophil migration. Email: julie-klesney-tait@uiowa.edu Office Number: 319-356-3576 Campus Address: C34-12 GH |
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Name: Katie Larson-Ode, MD |
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Name: David K. Meyerholz, DVM, PhD Title: Professor Focus Area: Dr. Meyerholz is Director of the Division of Comparative Pathology in the Department of Pathology. His research efforts are devoted mainly to the study of CF pig models involving gastrointestinal and reproductive pathologies. His leadership position in the Division of Comparative Pathology also has led to numerous collaborations in the area of CF pathophysiology. Email: david-meyerholz@uiowa.edu Office Number: (319) 353-4589 Campus Address: 1165 ML |
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Name: Paul B. McCray, Jr., MD Title: Professor Focus Area: Dr. McCray has a long-standing interest in CF, epithelial biology, genomics, innate immunity, and the application of gene transfer to CF lung disease. He is an expert in mucosal immunity and antimicrobial proteins involved in host-pathogen interactions. Dr. McCray also has a history of collaboration with Drs. Engelhardt, Sinn, Stoltz, Welsh, and Zabner. His research on lentiviral vectors and Piggybac transposon vectors for gene editing led to the development of new pseudotypes and strategies for lung- and liver-directed gene therapies. Dr. McCray directs a PPG focused on CF gene therapy. Email: paul-mccray@uiowa.edu Office Number: (319) 335-6844 Campus Address: 6320 PBDB |
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Name: Andrew Norris, MD, PhD Title: Professor Focus Area: Dr. Norris has broad expertise in the integrative physiology of diabetes. His laboratory studies the early pathogenesis of CFRD in ferret and pig models, with a focus on the extent to which redox stress, lipid abnormalities, and metabolic disease contribute to altered islet function in CFRD. Dr. Norris brings substantial expertise in the study of CFRD pathogenesis to the Center. He is PI on an R01 and an R24 (RC2 renewal pending) that are solely focused on CFRD research, and is co-I on the CFRD clinical trial at UI. Email: andrew-norris@uiowa.edu Office Number: (319) 335-7383 Campus Address: 1270B CBRB |
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Name: Lynda S. Ostedgaard, PhD Title: Research Associate Professor Focus Area: Dr. Ostedgaard has a long-standing track record in the biology and biochemistry of CF disease, with a focus on the structure/function CFTR, the molecular basis of mucin abnormalities in the lung and intestine of the CF pig, and the creation of functional CFTR mini-genes for rAAV-directed gene therapy. Email: lynda-ostedgaard@uiowa.edu Office Number: 319-335-7574 Campus Address: 6336 PBDB |
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Name: Kalpaj Parekh, MD |
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Name: Alejandro Pezzulo, MD |
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Name: Philip Polgreen, MD, MPH |
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Name: Matthew Potthoff, PhD |
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Name: Kamal Rahmouni, PhD |
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Name: Christoph Randak, MD |
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Name: Joseph M. Reinhardt, MS, PhD Title: Professor Focus Area: Dr. Reinhardt uses imaging and image analysis to study normal lung function and to detect variations indicative of early disease. Using CT imaging and image registration, he has developed a set of textural and biomechanical features and machine learning to characterize lung disease involving CF, COPD, emphysema, and fibrosis. He collaborates with members of the Center in applying these technologies to the study of lung disease in the CF pig and ferret models. Email: joe-reinhardt@uiowa.edu Office Number: (319) 335-5634 Campus Address: 5601 SC |
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Name: Kevin Rice, PhD Title: Professor Focus Area: Dr. Rice is a leader in the development of targeted delivery systems for gene transfer to the liver. His R01-funded research uses a high-affinity triantennary N-glycan attached to the PEG-peptide to trigger hepatocytic endocytosis of nanoparticles via the asialoglycoprotein receptor. His group also focuses on developing nanoparticles that target somatostatin receptor-expressing cells in the periphery. As this receptor is expressed on exocrine acinar cells of the pancreas, it represents unique opportunities for gene therapy of CFRD in the CF ferret and pig models. Email: kevin-rice@uiowa.edu Office Number: (319) 335-9903 Campus Address: 300 PHAR |
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Name: Thomas Rutkowski, PhD |
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Name: Julien Sebag, PhD |
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Name: Patrick L. Sinn, PhD Title: Associate Professor Focus Area: Dr. Sinn's research focuses on developing integrating vector systems for the treatment of CF lung disease. His R01-funded research focuses on the development of a piggyBac hybrid vector system that integrates into airway epithelial cells, and the engineering of transposases and zinc-fingers to integrate transgenes into safe-harbor genomic loci. These systems, in addition to novel lentiviral pseudotypes developed by Dr. Sinn, are being used for lung-directed gene therapy in the CF pig and ferret models. Email: patrick-sinn@uiowa.edu Office Number: (319) 335-8190 Campus Address: 6318 PBDB |
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Name: David A. Stoltz, MD, PhD Title: Professor Focus Area: Dr. Stoltz is Director of the CFF RDP and an NIH PPG studying the pathogenesis of CF lung disease in CF pig models. His areas of research include the roles of CFTR in smooth muscle, and CF disease pathogenesis involving goblet cell functions, innate immunity, and inflammation. Recently, Dr. Stoltz developed in vitro organoid models of the gallbladder from CF pigs, ferrets, and humans, which his group uses to study how CFTR function influences pH regulation and mucin secretion in this organ. Email: david-stoltz@uiowa.edu Office Number: 319-384-1107 Campus Address: 6322 PBDB |
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Name: Eric Taylor, PhD |
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Name: Peter Thorne, PhD Title: Professor Focus Area: Dr. Thorne's research expertise includes the development of aerosal-based techniques for delivering therapeutic agents and gene therapy vectors to the lung, as well as studies of innate immune responses to inhaled biological materials. His group collaborates with Drs. Stoltz, Welsh, and Engelhardt in both the CF ferret and pig models. Additionally, he is co-I on a recently acquired gene-editing grant in CF pigs awarded to Dr. McCray. Email: peter-thorne@uiowa.edu Office Number: (319) 335-4216 Campus Address: S341A CPHB |
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Name: Aliye Uc, MD |
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Name: Michael J. Welsh, MD Title: Professor Focus Area: Dr. Welsh has a long-standing interest in the study and treatment of CF. His laboratory uses a multi-faceted approach to understand the biology of CF, with several areas of emphasis. The first is an investigation of the structure and function of CFTR. The second is an exploration of how CFTR defects lead to impairment of innate immunity in the airway and to lung disease. To facilitate this research, his group generated a number of porcine CF models. These have brought a new understanding of the disease and are aiding in the development of novel therapies in collaboration with Drs. Stoltz, Zabner, McCray, Abou Alai, Fischer, and many other Center Members. Email: michael-welsh@uiowa.edu Office Number: (319) 335-7619 Campus Address: 6332 PBDB |
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Name: Timothy L. Yahr, PhD Title: Professor Focus Area: Dr. Yahr’s research program focuses primarily on the type III secretion system (T3SS) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, with the general aims of defining regulatory mechanisms that control expression of T3SS genes as well as the roles of the T3SS in pathogenesis. He has broad training in microbial genetics and physiology, protein biochemistry, protein transport systems, and microbial pathogenesis. Email: tim-yahr@uiowa.edu Office Number: (319) 335-9688 Campus Address: 200A EMRB |
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Name: Ziying Yan, PhD Title: Research Associate Professor Focus Area: Dr. Yan's research pertains to the molecular biology of rAAV and human Bocaviruses (HBoV), and to their development as recombinant viral vectors for use in gene therapy of CF. Most recently, he generated new recombinant HBoV serotypes with an intestinal tropism. Through his CF Foundation-funded research, he is generating a novel genetic ferret model with targeted integration of a CFTR mini-exon. This model will make it possible to test gene-editing strategies in vivo. Dr. Yan also collaborates with Drs. Engelhardt, McCray, and Sinn in testing vectors in the CF ferret models. Email: ziying-yan@uiowa.edu Office Number: (319) 335-9855 Campus Address: 1-111 BSB |
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Name: Joseph Zabner, MD Title: Professor Focus Area: Dr. Zabner has significant experience in basic CF research, clinical CF research, and the care of patients with CF. His interests include gene therapy for CF lung disease and mechanisms by which CFTR regulates airway fluid composition and innate immunity, and his research elegantly bridges studies in CF patients with those in CF pig animal models. Email: joseph-zabner@uiowa.edu Office Number: 319-356-4419 Campus Address: 6324 PBDB |