Cerebrovascular & Pulmonary Biology Faculty

The Hershenson laboratory studies cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying chronic airways diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.  We are currently focusing on 3 major areas of study: (i) Pathogenesis of rhinovirus-induced exacerbations of chronic airways diseases including asthma and COPD, (ii) Role of mesenchymal stem cells in lung injury and repair, and (iii) Signal transduction mechanisms underlying airway smooth muscle cell hypertrophy and differentiation in asthma.

Effective tissue immunity requires effective clearance of noxious agents coupled with timely resolution of inflammation to allow tissue repair and regeneration, ability to remember the initial transgressor, and then prompt, apt responsiveness to subsequent re-encounter. All these processes need finely regulated, intimate crosstalk between the epithelial cells, the noxious stimuli (microbes, allergens, cancer cells), innate immune cells (like macrophages, neutrophils, etc.), and adaptive immune cells (like T cells). The Shenoy Lab of Barrier Immunobiology (SLOBI) is interested in understanding the extent of- and mechanisms underlying- how this intercellular crosstalk to- and from- lung epithelial cells remodels lung immunity to optimize immune resistance (noxious stimuli clearance) while ensuring/impeding tissue resilience (lung function) during health and disease.

The central theme of the Spence lab is to understand how the endoderm and its associated organs develop, with a focus on intestine and lung development.  The lab uses human pluripotent stem cells to generate 3-dimensional tissues in the tissue culture incubator.   The lab also uses model organisms to explore the molecular mechanisms that control embryonic development. By understanding how the embryo develops, we gain insights into how abnormal development can lead to congenital disease, or how developmental regulators are involved in regeneration, injury repair or disease in the adult.

Dr. Xi's research interests are mechanisms of brain injury after hemorrhagic stroke and preconditioning-induced neuroprotection.  His work has demonstrated that iron contributes to brain edema formation and neurodegeneration following intracerebral hemorrhage and has resulted in a deferoxamine clinical trial for intracerebral hemorrhage.

Dr. Xi is NOT accepting fellows for Summer 2023.