Meaghan Flagg, PhD

Research Project:
Can a New Drug Promote Lung Repair in Alveolar Epithelial Cells?

Grant Awarded:

Catalyst Award

Research Topic:

combination therapies experimental therapeutics

Research Diseases:

COVID-19
influenza
pneumonia
respiratory viruses

When viruses infect the lungs, they can cause severe disease; this disease can progress to a life-threatening accumulation of fluid in the lungs called acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). More than 30% of patients with ARDS die, and despite decades of medical research, there are no effective treatments for it. One of the underlying causes of ARDS is damage to the specific cells in the lungs that take up oxygen, called alveolar epithelial cells. Under certain circumstances, the alveolar epithelium can repair itself. This is mediated by stem cells present in the lungs that rapidly divide, and then change into the oxygen-exchanging cells. Recent studies indicate that this process can be disrupted, and that this is associated with more severe disease, including fatal COVID-19. In this study, we will investigate how lung repair is impacted when the lungs are infected with a virus and test if a new drug can promote the repair process in the alveolar epithelium.

Page last updated: September 30, 2025

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