Laneshia K. Tague, MD, MSCI, Awarded NIH R03 Grant to Study Effects of Immunosuppression on Neutrophil Development
The Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine is pleased to announce that Laneshia K. Tague, MD, MSCI, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Associate Program Director for Research in the PCCM Fellowship Program, has been awarded an R03 grant from the National Institutes of Health. Her project, “Influence of Mycophenolic Acid on Neutrophil Development and Effector Function,” will investigate how mycophenolic acid, a widely used immunosuppressive drug in lung transplant recipients, affects the development and function of neutrophils, the immune cells that serve as the body’s first line of defense against infection.
Lung transplant recipients are dependent on immunosuppressive therapy to prevent organ rejection, but these medications can also impair immune function and increase susceptibility to serious infections. Dr. Tague’s research aims to clarify the cellular mechanisms by which mycophenolic acid influences neutrophil biology, with the goal of identifying strategies to better protect transplant patients from infectious complications while maintaining effective immunosuppression.
The NIH R03 mechanism supports focused, short-term research projects designed to generate new insights and lay the groundwork for future investigation. This award reflects Dr. Tague’s growing research portfolio in transplant pharmacology and her commitment to improving outcomes for lung transplant recipients.