Aglaia Ntokou, PhD

The lung is critical for gas exchange between the body’s blood vessels and the outside air, facilitating both removal of carbon dioxide from and uptake of oxygen by the body. The structure of lung tissue is similar to a honeycomb, maximizing surface area for gas exchange. In the deadly disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), the lung accumulates excessive scar tissue. This impairs gas exchange. I am studying why scar tissue accumulates in lung fibrosis and its link with inflammation. I will focus on cells known as myofibroblasts, which produce most of the excessive scar tissue. Initial findings show elevated levels of the gene Oct4 in myofibroblasts in IPF lung cells. Additionally, deletion of Oct4 in a pool of progenitor cells (descendents of stem cells) dramatically protects against fibrosis. Using human and mouse fibrotic lung samples, I am studying mechanisms underlying the protective effect of this Oct4 deletion. This work promises to identify novel targets that will be helpful in developing new treatments to combat lung fibrosis.