Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Lung Development, Regeneration and Repair

Featured Topic — Thursday, April 29, 2021 — 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM — Virtual Session, Room APS-12
Respiration Section — Chair: Jennifer Sucre — Co-Chair: Michael Koval

Proper lung development requires the coordinated differentiation of the pulmonary epithelium, vasculature and mesenchyme. Several mechanisms ensure the parallel differentiation of these different lung compartments, including intercellular interactions via intercellular contacts medicated by junctional complexes, integrins, and planar cell polarity complexes.  Transcriptional control, mechanical forces, and oxidative state all influence the ability of cells to differentiate and form a fully functional lung. Conversely, improper differentiation primes the lung for impaired function and increased disease susceptibility.

This Featured Topic will leverage this emerging field to include mechanistic studies on lung development, as well as studies of common pathways implicated in processes of lung repair.  Notably, we have crafted this Featured Topic to have flexibilty to integrate emerging studies in COVID-19 associated lung injury and repair.  

Speakers

• Leveraging Neonatal Alveolar Epithelial Plasticity in Lung Generation and Regeneration
  David Frank — University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine