Md Zahid Akhter, PhD

Blood vessels are lined by thin membrane called endothelial cells (ECs). When ECs do not work properly, it leads to uncontrolled transport of large number of molecules through the vessel walls. This causes lung disease, called acute lung injury (ALI), and its severe form of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is a life-threatening disease with no effective treatment. In ARDS, many ECs die. Our research has shown that the activity of a gene called DNA methyltransferase 3a (DNMT3) is increased in a mouse model of acute lung disease. Our research shows that when DNMT3a is missing, ECs can grow back better and the lung heals faster. This study will explore how this happens and whether blocking DNMT3a could lead to new treatments for patients with severe lung injury.