- University of Maryland-Baltimore Co, BS, 2019
Education & Training
Sui J, Xiao H, Mbaekwe U, Ting NC, Murday K, Hu Q, Gregory AD, Kapellos TS, Yildirim AÖ, Königshoff M, Zhang Y, Sciurba FC, Das J, Kliment CR. Interpretable machine learning uncovers epithelial transcriptional rewiring and a role for Gelsolin in COPD. JCI Insight. 2024 Oct 1:e180239. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.180239. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39352744.
My work investigates how mitochondrial dysfunction disrupts alveolar epithelial repair in chronic lung diseases, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). I focus on the role of adenine nucleotide translocase 2 (ANT2), which is reduced in alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells—the stem cells of the alveolar compartment. Loss of ANT2 impairs repair capacity and accelerates emphysema development. By combining mitochondrial assays such as Seahorse analysis with COPD mouse models (cigarette smoke and elastase), 3D alveolar organoids, and precision-cut lung slices (PCLS), I aim to define the mechanisms linking ANT2 dysfunction to impaired repair and to identify potential therapeutic strategies to restore lung capacity and regeneration.