Chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affect more than 80 million people worldwide, according to the WHO. These diseases are caused by changes in the lung’s structure, leading to significant health challenges. To combat these diseases, we need to understand how lung tissue is originally formed. In our lab we use models from different species to study how the lung works at the cellular level.
Impact
By studying lung-like tissue, we learn how it develops and heals. This knowledge helps to understand how to repair damaged lungs and treat chronic respiratory diseases.
reNEW research
My research focuses on microtubules, which are tiny, rigid structures inside our cells that help with important tasks like cell division and specialization of cells. Their rigidity is important for the cell shape, yet we don’t fully understand how that works during development. I am investigating how these tiny rigid structures help form lung-like tissue, which could give us new insights into how tissue develops and functions.
Image description
The image shows basal cells, outlined in red. These stem cells create all other lung cells. The yellow-green structures are the tiny scaffolds called microtubules, which help keep the cells’ shape and provide mechanical support.
Credits
Dr. Lieke Stockmann, Postdoc, Sedzinski lab, reNEW Copenhagen.
