Irina G. Luzina, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Therapeutic Depletion of IL-33 Protein: Pre-clinical Development
For more information about this technology, please contact the UM Ventures, Baltimore team.
Bio
Dr. Luzina’s research interests and expertise are in cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying inflammation and excessive scarring of the lungs (pulmonary fibrosis). These two abnormal processes often occur simultaneously in the lung, and propel each other; inflammation and fibrosis also share numerous common molecular mediators. In combination, inflammation and fibrosis of the lungs are often referred to under the term “interstitial lung disease” (ILD), although this is not an independent disease but rather a syndrome present in numerous diseases such as scleroderma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, rheumatoid arthritis, dermato- and poly-myositis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, radiation- and chemotherapy-induced lung fibrosis, graft-versus-host disease after bone marrow transplantation, sarcoidosis, and asthma. Better therapies for ILD are urgently needed, but its pathophysiological mechanisms need to be better understood to facilitate development of innovative therapeutics. Research in Luzina laboratory, as well as works of others, suggest that immune and inflammatory mechanisms are central to pulmonary fibrosis, and that they are engaged in intricate interplay with epithelial cell damage-dependent mechanisms. Dr. Luzina’s work addresses the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrotic diseases at the cellular and molecular levels, particularly the role and mechanisms of interaction between the inflammatory/immune cells and pulmonary interstitium. The ultimate goal of this research is to apply the new understanding gained from basic science research to the needs of clinical medicine, by translating the knowledge about mechanisms of lung inflammation and fibrosis from bench to bedside, particularly by identifying suitable molecular targets for future therapies.