A full list of publications can be found on our PubMed and Google Scholar pages.
Publications Highlights
This study identified a resident population of stem/progenitor cells within the basal airway epithelium of the human lung. The clinical and translational relevance of this research was the observation that the number of resident airway epithelial stem cells is increased by 40 fold within the airways of asthmatic patients, compared to non-diseased airways. These data supported the current notion within the asthma research community, that the airway epithelium is dysregulated in its repair leading to airway inflammation and remodeling.
This study demonstrated that basal airway epithelial cells are plastic with the capacity to undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The increased number of basal cells within the airways of asthmatic patients results in an increased epithelial-mesenchymal transition response with expression of fibrotic markers and extracellular matrix in culture.
To understand the patholobiology of chronic lung diseases my lab has developed several imaging protocols to investigate the structural, cellular and extracellular matrix (ECM) environment of disease lesions using biobanked formalin-fixed-paraffin embedded (FFPE) samples. As example, we have developed protocols to image and quantify the 3-dimentional (3D) ultra-structure of the lung in FFPE samples using micro computed tomography (CT) imaging. This study demonstrated the use of non-linear optical microscopy (NLOM) to quantify the biochemical structure of collagen which is significantly deposited within remodeled asthmatic airways. This work showed that collagen is highly disorganized within the asthmatic airways due to lack of decorin expression by airway fibroblasts. The clinical and translational relevance of this research is that defective decorin production by airway fibroblasts offers a potential new therapeutic strategy for airway remodeling in asthma. Further, that NLOM probes with bronchoscopy opens the opportunity to monitor airway remodeling clinically in response to targeted therapeutic treatments. This paper was highlighted with an accompanying editorial (Snelgrove RJ, et al., Zooming into the Matrix. AJRCCM. 2019) and featured as a journal club presentation from the American Thoracic Society (ATS).
This study demonstrated the use of non-linear optical microscopy (NLOM) to quantify the biochemical structure of collagen which is significantly deposited within remodeled asthmatic airways. This work showed that collagen is highly disorganized within the asthmatic airways due to lack of decorin expression by airway fibroblasts. The clinical and translational relevance of this research is that defective decorin production by airway fibroblasts offers a potential new therapeutic strategy for airway remodeling in asthma. Further, that NLOM probes with bronchoscopy opens the opportunity to monitor airway remodeling clinically in response to targeted therapeutic treatments. This paper was highlighted with an accompanying editorial (Snelgrove RJ, et al., Zooming into the Matrix. AJRCCM. 2019) and featured as a journal club presentation from the American Thoracic Society (ATS).
Using microCT imaging of FFPE COPD lung samples we provided the first direct evidence that 41% of the smallest conducting airways, termed terminal bronchioles, and 57% of the alveolar surface area are irreversibly destroyed within the lungs of patients with the earliest stage of (Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD 1)) mild COPD. This study highlighted the inability of spirometry to detect early disease, as significant unrepairable damage of the lung has already occurred when a patient is diagnosed with mild (GOLD 1) COPD. Further, we demonstrated that in COPD lungs samples with a normal alveolar surface area that the small airways are lost prior to emphysematous destruction of alveolar tissue – a question that has been of much debate for the last 80 years. Lastly, we reported that patients at the late stages of disease (moderate to severe (GOLD 3 and 4) COPD) have lost 70-90% of their small airways. These data suggest that many large clinical trials investigating COPD treatments may have failed because the therapies were mostly tested on moderate to severe (GOLD 3 and 4) COPD patients, who would have limited small airways remaining for the therapeutics to act on. This study has been editorialized as identifying small airways as the ground zero of COPD pathology (Russell DW., et al. COPD ground zero. The Lancet Respir Med. 2018), and has been used to spearhead a new Lancet Global Commission to identify new approaches to prevent, diagnose and treat early COPD (Dransfield M., et al. Towards eradication of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a Lancet Commission. 2019).
The concept that idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an interstitial lung disease that obliterates alveoli but spares the airways is widely accepted in the literature based on the observation that individuals with IPF can have much larger than normal airflows at low lung volumes. This study challenges the current thinking in IPF, as the report provides direct evidence that in regions of minimal parenchymal fibrosis there is already a 60% reduction in the number of small airways. These data indicate that small airways are an important feature of IPF, and a potential therapeutic target for future studies.
Trainees Awards
- Keith Wu: The James Hogg Grant, 2022.
- Aileen Hsieh: CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarships - Masters Award, 2022 - 2023.
- Aileen Hsieh: 3 Minute-Thesis - 1st Place, UBC/HLI, 2022.
- Aileen Hsieh: 3 Minute-Thesis - People’s Choice, UBC/HLI, 2022.
- Aileen Hsieh: President’s Academic Excellence Initiative PhD Award, 2022- present.
- Kauna Usman: Top Trainee Poster Presentation - 3rd Place, HLI Student Research Day, 2022
- Keith Wu: Oral Presentation: Rising Star Award, HLI Student Research Day, 2022.
- Keith Wu: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Award, UBC Faculty of Science, 2022.
- Kingsley Nwozor: International Tuition Award, UBC, 2022.
- Kingsley Nwozor: Special UBC Graduate Scholarship Award- Oral Presentation 1st Place, APT Research Day, 2022.
- Kingsley Nwozor: International Tuition Award, UBC, 2022.
- Kingsley Nwozor: President’s Academic Excellence Initiative PhD Award, 2022.
- Najmeh Assadinia: International Student Scholar Award, 2022.
- Nicole Coxson: Top Trainee Poster Presentation - 2nd Place. HLI Summer Student Research Day, 2022.
- Aileen Hsieh: James Hogg Travel Award, 2021.
- Aileen Hsieh: UBC Faculty of Medicine Graduate Tuition Award, 2021.
- Kauna Usman: Bob Schellenberg, Rookie of the Year Award, HLI, 2021.
- Kingsley Nwozor: Stiching Astma Bestrijding (SAB) Research Grant, 2021.
- Kingsley Nwozor: MITACS Accelerate Research Fellowship, 2021.
- Kingsley Nwozor: President’s Academic Excellence Initiative PhD Award, 2021.
- Steve Booth: Best Science and Innovation Abstract Award, ATS, 2021.
- Kauna Usman: Faculty of Medicine Graduate Award, 2020 - present.
- Kauna Usman: International Tuition Award, 2020 - present.
- Kauna Usman: President's Academic Excellence Initiative PhD Award, 2020-present.
- Kingsley Nwozor: University of Groningen Travel Grant for Lung Science Conference in Estoril Portugal, 2020.
- Emmanuel Osei: Dr. Stuart J Hirst award, ATS, 2020.
- Emmanuel Osei: Best 1-minute Thesis Presentation Award, Anesthesiology, Pharmacology Research Day, 2020.
- Aileen Hsieh: Best 3 Minute Thesis Presentation- 2nd place. HLI Summer Student Research Day, 2019.
- Delaram Maftoun: Best Oral Presentation. HLI Summer Student Research Day, 2019.
- Emmanuel Osei: Best Lung Presentation, HLI Research Day, 2019.
- Emmanuel Osei: MITACs Postdoctoral Fellowship award, 2019 – 2021.
- Emmanuel Osei: Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Postdoctoral Fellowship award, 2019 – 2021.
- Kauna Usman: MITACS PhD Student Award, 2019 – 2021.
- Steve Booth: K. Leighton Pharmacology and Therapeutics Graduate Award, 2019.
- Aileen Hsieh: Best Oral Presentation. HLI Summer Student Research Day, 2018.
- Aileen Hsieh: Travel Award, HLI, 2018.
- Emmanuel Osei: Travel Award, HLI, 2018.
- Emmanuel Osei: Allergen Travel Award to attend ERS Research Seminar in Berlin, 2018.
- Steve Booth: Abstract Scholarship Award, ATS, 2018.
- Steve Booth: Scholarship Award, ATS, 2017.
- Steve Booth: Best oral presentation, UBC, Anesthesiology, Pharmacology Research Day, 2017.
- Emmanuel Osei: AllerGen NCE Travel Award to present oral presentation at the Young investigators Meeting, Baltimore, USA, 2017.
- Aileen Hsieh: Best Oral Presentation. HLI Summer Student Research Day, 2017.
- Leila Mostaco-Guidolin: AllerGen NCE Travel Award to present oral presentation at ATS, 2017.
- Leila Mostaco-Guidolin: Best Top 30 Canadian Abstracts, ATS, 2017.
- Emmanuel Osei: Best Top 30 Canadian Abstracts, ATS, 2017.
- Emmanuel Osei: AllerGen NCE Travel Grant to attend ATS, 2017.
- Steve Booth: Best Top 30 Canadian Abstracts, ATS, 2017.
- Emmanuel Osei: UBC Graduate Student Travel Grant to attend the Young Investigator Meeting on smooth muscle in airways and vascular disease. Philadelphia, USA, 2017.
- Emmanuel Osei: Best Dr. Tillie Hackett Lung Presentation, HLI Research Day, 2017.
- Steve Booth: Best Dr. Julio Montaner Innovation Presentation, HLI , HLI Research Day, 2017.
- Emmanuel Osei: NRS SAB Young Investigator Best Paper Award, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 2017.
- Steve Booth: Cornelis Van Breemen - Outstanding Young Investigator Award, HLI, 2017.
- Emmanuel Osei: James Hogg Outstanding Young Investigator Award for Best Postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Heart Lung Innovation, 2017.
- Leila Mostaco-Guidolin: Best Top 30 Canadian Abstracts, ATS, 2017.
- Steve Booth: UBC Faculty of Medicine Graduate & International Student Tuition Award, 2017 - 2018.
- Steve Booth: UBC G + PS International Student Tuition Award, 2017 - 2018.
- Leila Mostaco-Guidolin: Abstract Scholarship Award, ATS, 2016.
- Leila Mostaco-Guidolin: James Hogg Outstanding Young Investigator Award for Best Postdoctoral fellow at HLI, 2016.
- Emmanuel Osei: Best oral presentation, Anesthesiology, Pharmacology Research Day, 2016.
- Aileen Hsieh: Peter Pare Scholar Award, 2016.
- Aileen Hsieh: Best Poster Presentation-3rd place. HLI Summer Student Research Day, 2016.
- Steve Booth: Abstract Scholarship Award, ATS, 2016.
- Steve Booth: UBC Faculty of Medicine Graduate & International Student Tuition Award, 2016 - 2017.
- Aileen Hsieh: Abstract Scholarship Award, ATS, 2016.
- Delaram Maftoun: Peter Pare Scholar Award, 2016.
- Anthony Spearman: Poster Presentation- 1st place. HLI Summer Student Research Day, 2015.
- Ekiomoado Olumese: Best Oral Presentation. HLI Summer Student Research Day, 2015.
- Emmanuel Osei: AllerGen NCE Travel Award to present oral presentation at the Young investigators Meeting, London, UK, 2015.
- Hyun-Young Koo: Travel Award to attend ATS, 2015.
- Leila Mostaco-Guidolin: Canadian Lung Association Postdoctoral Fellowship award, 2015 – 2017.
- Leila Mostaco-Guidolin: Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Postdoctoral Fellowship award, 2015 – 2017.
- Robin Elderman: Awarded Best Medical Student Scientific Report, UMCG, 2015.
- Steve Booth: Faculty of Graduate and Postgraduate Studies (G+PS) International Tuition Award, 2015.
- Steve Booth: Graduate Support Initiative (GSI) Faculty of Medicine Graduate Award, 2015 – 2016.
- Steve Booth: Best oral presentation, Anesthesiology, Pharmacology Research Day, 2015.
- Stephanie Warner: AllerGen Travel Award to present scientific poster at ATS, 2014.
- Dorota Stefanowicz: Best Poster Presentation, Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics Research Day, 2014.
- Hyun-Young Koo: Best Oral Presentation, Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics Research Day, 2014.
- Jari Ullah: Poster Presentation- 2nd place. HLI Summer Student Research Day, 2014.
- Tracee Wee: AllerGen Travel Award to present scientific poster at ATS, 2013.
- Stephanie Warner: Best Poster Presentation, Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics Research Day, 2013.
- Dorota Stefanowicz: AllerGen Travel Award to present scientific poster at ATS, 2013.
- Dorota Stefanowicz: Abstract Scholarship Award, ATS, 2013.
- Kevin Lee: Best Oral Presentation. HLI Summer Student Research Day, 2013.
- Jari Ullah: Oral Presentation- Third place, HLI Summer Student Research Day, 2013.
- Soheil Hajimohammadi: Best Poster Presentation, Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics Research Day, 2013.
- Emmanuel Osei: International PhD Fellowship for joint studentship between UBC and University of Groningen, 2013.