Smooth muscle mechanics laboratory
Head of laboratory:
Our main research theme lies with investigating the pathophysiology of asthma; i.e. how structural changes in the airways make them respond too easily and too much to a variety of contractile stimuli.
In our laboratory we have the tools to investigate the functional response of smooth muscle preparations to a variety of treatments. The main preparations used in our laboratory include: strips, rings, and segments of tissue. The type of preparation used depends on the question(s) that is (are) being asked. For example, if we are interested in the ability of the epithelium to protect the airway from inhaled stimuli, then we use segment preparations. Using such a preparation, we find that an intact (?healthy?) epithelium affords a great permeability barrier to many inhaled agents. Our long term goal is to set up a network to obtain lung tissue from people who have current asthma but have died from other causes; an ethical nightmare but none-the-less very important if we are to make breakthroughs in our understanding of asthma.
