Ornitz Secures NIH Funding for Lung Development Research

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Ornitz Secures NIH Funding for Lung Development Research — The layout of the peripheral lung during neonatal mouse growth. Elastin fibers, a form of connective tissue, are depicted in white. Myofibroblasts, a cell type crucial for the creation of the lung’s air sacs, known as alveoli, are emphasized in yellow. The Ornitz laboratory has discovered that a molecule termed fibroblast growth factor 18 (FGF18) is vital for neonatal lung development and that mice devoid of FGF18 exhibit anomalies in alveoli formation. (Image: Yongjun Yin, David Ornitz/WashU Medicine)

David M. Ornitz, MD, PhD, the Alumni Endowed Professor within the Department of Developmental Biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been granted a four-year funding amounting to $740,000 per year from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These resources will facilitate his efforts to uncover how cellular interactions during neonatal lung development influence the long-term health of infants’ respiratory systems. This investigation will yield a more comprehensive understanding of the molecular factors responsible for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), also referred to as chronic lung disease of prematurity, a condition that impacts premature infants and can lead to enduring respiratory challenges.

The manner in which lungs mature in infants is vital for lung health in adulthood. In the concluding phase of lung development, which occurs during the initial two years following a baby’s birth, the lung surface area expands, and the walls of the alveoli — minute air sacs that enable oxygen transfer from the lungs to the bloodstream — become exceedingly thin to facilitate efficient gas exchange. This developmental process is termed alveologenesis. In certain infants, especially those born prematurely, this stage of lung maturation may be compromised, as seen in bronchopulmonary dysplasia, which affects approximately 500,000 premature infants in the U.S. each year. This issue frequently results in chronic respiratory ailments. The Ornitz laboratory has identified that a molecule known as fibroblast growth factor 18 (FGF18) is essential for neonatal lung development, and that mice lacking FGF18 suffer from defects in alveologenesis.

Ornitz will employ various specialized forms of single-cell sequencing to pinpoint molecular regulators throughout the final phase of lung maturation that affect cellular interactions, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. This research will address significant knowledge gaps surrounding possible therapeutic targets for both premature infants with BPD and for enhancing lung regeneration in adults dealing with respiratory diseases.

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