Postnatal Lung Development: Mechanisms of Molecular and Vascular Development

描述(由申请人提供)：本建议的目标是增加学术研究人员的社区，激励并有能力开展假说驱动的研究，以解决肺部疾病的问题，并在我们中心内特别创建一个新的研究重点，集中在发育中的肺的生物学上。这一目标将通过征聘和支助一名新的独立调查员克里斯蒂娜·阿尔维拉博士来实现，其方式如本提案所述。聘请阿尔维拉博士将有助于在斯坦福大学肺部生物学卓越中心内建立一个核心中心，以进行多学科的生物医学研究，以阐明引导肺泡发育的分子机制。这个核心中心将强调三个基本的科学目标：(I)识别允许在囊状和肺泡发育阶段之间过渡的信号通路；(Ii)探索出生后血管和肺泡发育之间的相互作用；以及(Iii)确定早期肺泡化中断对未来肺生长和功能的长期影响。最近的证据已经支持这样一种观点，即在肺发育的这个关键窗口期间的损伤可能代表着儿童时期成人疾病的先兆，这种侮辱落在易感宿主身上，并导致特发性肺纤维化、肺高压、间质性肺疾病、哮喘或肺气肿等肺部疾病的发展。因此，识别促进或破坏肺泡发育的因素可能很容易转化为开发新的治疗方法，潜在地适用于多种形式的影响儿童和成人的肺部疾病。一个由代表众多科学学科的资深教员组成的小组将有助于提高她新兴研究项目的深度和广度，并进一步增加她继续在学术上取得成功的可能性。此外，来自肺生物学卓越中心、儿科和整个斯坦福大学医学院的大量资源将随时提供给阿尔维拉博士，作为对这位应得的候选人的机构支持的证明。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the present proposal is increase the community of academic researchers motivated and capable of carrying out hypothesis-driven research to address questions in pulmonary diseases, and to specifically create a new research focus within our Center, concentrated on the biology of the developing lung. The goal will be achieved by the recruitment and support of a newly independent investigator, Dr. Cristina Alvira, in the manner outlined by this proposal. The recruitment of Dr. Alvira will allow for the development of a Core Center within the Center for Excellence in Pulmonary Biology at Stanford University to conduct multidisciplinary, biomedical research to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that direct alveolar development. This Core Center will emphasize three fundamental scientific goals: (i) identification of the signaling pathways that allow for the transition between the sacular and alveolar stages of lung development; (ii) exploration of the interplay between postnatal vascular and alveolar development; and (iii) determination of the long-term implications of early disruption of alveolarization on future lung growth and function. Recent evidence already supports the notion that injury during this critical window of lung development may represent the childhood antecedent of adult disease, with such insults falling upon susceptible hosts, and resulting in the development of pulmonary diseases such idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease, asthma or emphysema. Therefore, identification of factors that either promote or disrupt alveolar development might be readily translated into the development of novel therapeutics with potential applicability to numerous forms of lung disease affecting both children and adults. A panel of senior faculty, representing a plethora of scientific disciplines, will serve to enhance the depth and scope of her emerging research program, and further increase the likelihood of her continued academic success. Furthermore, extensive resources from the Center for Excellence in Pulmonary Biology, the Department of Pediatrics, and Stanford University School of Medicine as a whole will be readily available to Dr. Alvira as a testament to the Institutional support for this deserving candidate.