Education

PhD, University of Toledo, 2011

Lab information

I am the head of the Lung Bioengineering and Regeneration lab in the Department of Experimental Medical Sciences and Faculty of Medicine at Lund University in Sweden. The lab was started in 2017 due to generous support from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and receives major funding from an ERC Starting Grant (3DBIOLUNG) and a Swedish Research Council Starting Grant.
http://www.lbr-lab.com

Research focus

Over three million people die each year and over 60 million people suffer worldwide from chronic lung diseases (CLDs). Currently, there is no cure for CLDs, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary hypertension, and pulmonary fibrosis. Lung transplantation is the only option at end-stage disease and is further complicated by shortage in organs available for transplantation and low efficacy. Five-year survival rate has remained at 50% for the last decade. New options are desperately needed for these patients.

My lab focuses on how the extracellular environment directs stem cell behavior for endogenous and exogenous lung tissue regeneration. We use a multidisciplinary approach using advances in materials science (polymer design and synthesis), manufacturing (e.g. 3D bioprinting), and endogenous lung stem cells to construct these new models.

Publications