Pulmonary Faculty

Research Interests

• My Research interest is in the regulatory mechanisms of pulmonary circulation and lung injury and repair. The focus is on three areas: protein-protein interaction in lung endothelial signaling, calpain in hypoxic pulmonary vascular remodeling and angiogenesis, and lung injury and repair in tobacco smoke exposure. Through multidisciplinary approaches at the level of molecule, cell, organ, and whole body, the goal is to find novel therapeutic strategies and biomarkers for pulmonary hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cor pulmonale.

Recognition

• Clinical Innovator Award, Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute
• 2004 - Career Investigator Award, American Lung Association of Florida
• 2001 - Young Investigator Award, Florida Department of Health
• 2001 - present - Journal reviews for American Journal, Lung, FEBS LETTERS, Vascular Pharmacology, Biochemical Pharmacology, International Journal of Experimental Toxicology, chemical Research in Toxicology, Advances in Experimental Biology (Book)
• 2001 - present - Grant Review Committee for AHA's Lung, Respiration and Resuscitation Committee, Kentucky Science & Engineering Foundation, Flight Attendants Medical Research institution, Health Research Board of Ireland
• 1990 - Postgraduate Excellence Award in Tongji Medical University, China
• 1985 - Top 2% in the case of 1985 in Tongji Medical University, China

Training

• Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Georgia Health Sciences University
• Associate Professor, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Georgia Health Sciences University
• Member, Vascular Biology Center, Center for Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine, Georgia Health Sciences University
• Associate Professor, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, F.L.
• Department of Medicine, University of Florida, USA: Postdoctoral Research Associate
  Principal Investigator: Edward R. Block, M.D., Distinguished Professor and Chairman
• Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, F.L.
• Wellcome Pharmaceutical Inc., Research Laboratories, U.K.: Postdoctoral Scientist
  Principal Investigator: Salvador Moncada, M.D., FRS, Research Director
• Associate Professor, Department of Pathophysiology, Tongji Medical University, Wuhan, China
• Tongji Medical University, China, Postgraduate leading to PhD. in Pathophysiology
  PhD. in Pathophysiology
  M.S. in Pathophysiology
• Tongji Medical University, China, Student leading to Medical Doctor, M.D.

Current Projects

• Protein-protein interaction in lung endothelial signaling: Our lab has been the first to identify the interaction of eNOS to beta-actin in vascular endothelial cells and has pinpointed the actin binding site on eNOS protein. Oxygen is the most important molecule to affect pulmonary circulation. We have found that oxygen levels regulate eNOS-actin interaction. Further work is on the factors which control eNOS-beta-actin interaction in lung endothelial cells and on how eNOS-actin interaction lays a role in pulmonary physiology and pathophysiology. This work is supported by NIH (R01HL088261).
• Mechanism of pulmonary vascular remodeling and angiogenesis in pulmonary hypertension: Pulmonary hypertension is a severe and progressive disease characterized by increased pulmonary vascular resistance leading to right heart failure and death. Pulmonary vascular remodeling is an important common pathological feature of all categories of pulmonary hypertension. Accumulation of extracellular matrix, including collage, and vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and hypertrophy contribute to medical hypertrophy and muscularization leading to obliteration of pre-capillary pulmonary arteries and sustained elevation of pulmonary arterial pressure. Aberrant angiogenesis plays an important role in the formation of plexiform lesion in severe pulmonary hypertension. We are interested in how Calpain, a calcium-related intracellular protease, regulates the behaviors of pulmonary vascular endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells in pulmonary hypertension. We are also interested in how extracellular matrix is regulated in pulmonary vascular remodeling. This project is supported by American Heart Association.
• Lund injury and repair in tobacco smoke exposure: tobacco smoke has been implicated as a major risk factor for chronic bronchitis and COPD. We have established a tobacco smoke-induced COPD animal model and have found that oxidative stress plays ultimate role and underlie all of the pathological processes in COPD. Oxidative stress occurs when radical oxygen species (ROS) are produced in excess of the antioxidant capacity. We are interested in how ROS lead to the pathological consequences in COPD and look for antioxidant strategies for the prevention and treatment of COPD> This project is supported by Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute (National) (#072104_CIA).

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