Research

Translational Research

A successful career in academic medicine requires careful planning, commitment and training. The Division is dedicated to providing the background, resources, and experience necessary to prepare our fellows to be physician-scientists in both clinical and basic science investigation. As part of the fellowship program fellows are provided with at least 18 months of dedicated research time during which they pursue an original clinical, translational or basic science research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor from the Washington University School of Medicine. Research training is typically extended for those interested in pursuing a long-term career in academic medicine. The Division has a large number of faculty who are nationally and internationally recognized for their scientific contributions and who have successfully competed for research support. These individuals are experienced in providing in-depth research training to clinicians. Each trainee works closely with one of these faculty researchers. In addition, fellows may take advantage of collaborative arrangements and supervision by members of the Washington University School of Medicine faculty who are adjunct members of our Division training faculty and who often are working in collaboration with members of the Division.

The research program is supported by a variety of individual investigator awards funded by the National Institutes of Health, and a host of other awards from private research foundations, and joint programs with industry. A divisional training grant in pulmonary diseases awarded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, provides a base of funding from which fellows have uniformly competed with success for career development awards.

Within the Division, fellows may participate in several specialized research programs of research that are supported by large, multi-investigator awards. These include a program for a Specialized Center of Clinically Oriented Research (SCCOR) grant, a long-standing multi-investigator Program Project Grant (PPG), and a multi-centered cooperative research program in asthma and allergic disease (AADCRC), all based within the Division. Members of the Division are also active participants in national multi-center trials in various aspects of lung disease and critical care. Other specialized programs for clinical research including the Cystic Fibrosis Center, Center for Heriditary Hemangioma, ??others Neuromuscular Disease HELP HERE DAN that are supported by both government and foundation awards. Division faculty also participate in multi-investigator grants based in Allergy-Immunology, Radiology and Chemistry. These extramural sources are complemented by Division endowments and gifts that include funding for endowed professorships in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.

The research program is varied in scope, including state-of-the-art work in both clinical and basic science. This spectrum affords fellows a wide choice in research projects. Current basic science and translational projects include: airway inflammation, asthma genetics, bacterial pathogenesis, cell adhesion molecules, cell cycle control, cytokines, epithelial cell biology, extracellular matrix receptors, growth factors, lung development, lymphocyte activation and trafficking, immunogenetics, molecular virology, oncogenes, positron emission tomography, programmed cell death (apoptosis), proteases and antiproteases, surfactant apoproteins, transplant immunology and tumor suppressors. Special emphasis has been given to mechanisms regulating gene expression with an aim towards improving therapy of inherited and acquired lung diseases.

Clinical research projects involve studies in asthma, cystic fibrosis, critical care medicine, chronic respiratory failure, emphysema management, interventional pulmonary, lung cancer, lung transplantation, pneumonia, sepsis management, thromboembolic disease, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary rehabilitation and sleep medicine. The growth of the lung transplant program to the largest in the world and the pioneering efforts to initiate the lung volume reduction program for emphysema have facilitated both basic and applied lung research within the Division.

Facilities available to the research trainee also are extensive. Space for research at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the VA Medical Center, Barnes West County Hospital, and the School of Medicine now totals more than 20,000 square feet. Resources include extensive equipment for molecular and cell biology, biochemistry, physiologic testing, and diagnostic imaging. Special resources for the Division include equipment for oligonucleotide and peptide synthesis, nucleic acid and protein sequencing, proteomics, electron microscopy, mass spectrometry, fluorescent-activated flow cytometry, confocal scanning laser microscopy, phosphoimaging, videomicroscopy, bioinformatics, computer graphics and modeling, quantitative fluorescent microscopy, and positron emission tomographic scanning. A diversity of other resources is provided by the large number of specialized cores available throughout the medical center that are each staffed by a highly collaborative team of investigators. Of these, the Division specifically manages core facilities for immunopathology and lung morphology, lung epithelial cell culture, and the generation and characterization of transgenic and gene-knockout mice. Communication is enhanced by a fully supported and dedicated electronic network for all division members.

Despite a diversity of scientific interests and techniques, the Division makes a special effort to ensure collaboration and communication among its investigators. Extensive interactions occur both in the form of specific scientific projects and in the context of seminars and journal clubs. Trainees are central to planning these activities. In addition, trainees are encouraged to enroll in intramural and extramural scientific courses and to attend national scientific conferences to gain additional insight and expertise. Within the medical center, there are several formal education programs within the Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Development Program aimed at fellows committed to clinical research. These programs are offered to senior fellows and junior faculty and can lead to Master of Science Degree in Clinical Investigation or an Masters of Public Health.

Overall, the research program aims at combining a productive scientific experience with a rich educational opportunity. Each fellowship group receives career guidance, and each fellow sufficient time to investigate career goals and pathways with multiple faculty members. This is fostered by individual and group meetings, retreats, and regular research review seminars. This formula has enabled graduates of the program to be extremely successful in obtaining faculty positions and in competing for grant support from the NIH or private funding agencies for medical research.