Work in the Kelly Gebo Lab focuses on topics such as evidence-based practice, health utilization, policy generation, health disparities in patient access to health care, HIV/AIDS, aging and hepatitis. As part of the HIV Research Network (HIVRN), our lab gathers clinical and demographic data on HIV-infected patients to help develop a single, nationwide research database. In addition, our ongoing research explores evidence-based practice in relation to the management of hepatitis C as well as HIV/AIDS in mentally ill patients. We also investigate racial and gender disparities in patients who receive highly active antiretroviral therapy.

The Kayode Williams Lab conducts translational research on neuromodulation. We primarily examine the mechanisms and efficacy of spinal cord stimulation in treating neuropathic pain, peripheral neuropathies and peripheral vascular disease. Our clinical trials explore spinal cord stimulation in the treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy and the treatment of critical non-reconstructible critical leg ischemia. We also have a longstanding interest in the business of medicine and seek to enhance value propositions for hospitals and physician groups through more effective management of resources.

Research in the Kawsar Rasmy Talaat Lab focuses on international health and parasitology, with an emphasis on vaccines, avian influenza and pandemic influenza. Our team conducts clinical trials of vaccines for a range of diverse pathogens, including flu strains that have the potential to reach pandemic status. Our studies seek to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of vaccine candidates. We also have a longstanding interest in tropical medicine.

The focus of the research in the Reddy Laboratory is to begin to understand how the nuclear periphery and other subcompartments contribute to general nuclear architecture and to specific gene regulation. Our research goals can be broken down into three complementary areas of research: understanding how genes are regulated at the nuclear periphery, deciphering how genes are localized (or ""addressed"") to specific nuclear compartments and how these processes are utilized in development and corrupted in disease.

Basic science investigations span an array of inquiries, such as understanding the basic mechanisms underlying cardiac dyssynchrony and resynchronization in the failing heart, and beneficial influences of nitric oxide/cGMP/protein kinase G and cGMP-targeted phosphdiesterase signaling cascades on cardiac maladaptive stress remodeling. Recently, the latter has particularly focused on the role of phosphodiesterase type 5 and its pharmacologic inhibitors (e.g. sildenafi, Viagra®), on myocyte signaling cascades modulated by protein kinase G, and on the nitric oxide synthase dysregulation coupled with oxidant stress. The lab also conducts clinical research and is presently exploring new treatments for heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction, studying ventricular-arterial interaction and its role in adverse heart-vessel coupling in left heart failure and pulmonary hypertension, and testing new drug, device, and cell therapies for heart disease. A major theme has been with the use of advanced non-invasive and invasive catheterization-based methods to assess cardiac mechanics in patients.asive and invasive catheterization-based methods to assess cardiac mechanics in patients. David Kass, MD, is currently the Director at the Johns Hopkins Center for Molecular Cardiobiology and a professor in cellular and molecular medicine.

The Kunisaki lab is a NIH-funded regenerative medicine group within the Division of General Pediatric Surgery at Johns Hopkins that works at the interface of stem cells, mechanobiology, and materials science. We seek to understand how biomaterials and mechanical forces affect developing tissues relevant to pediatric surgical disorders. To accomplish these aims, we take a developmental biology approach using induced pluripotent stem cells and other progenitor cell populations to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which fetal organs develop in disease.

Our lab projects can be broadly divided into three major areas: 1) fetal spinal cord regeneration 2) fetal lung development 3) esophageal regeneration

Lab members: Juan Biancotti, PhD (Instructor/lab manager); Annie Sescleifer, MD (postdoc surgical resident); Kyra Halbert-Elliott (med student), Ciaran Bubb (undergrad)

Recent publications:
Kunisaki SM, Jiang G, Biancotti JC, Ho KKY, Dye BR, Liu AP, Spence JR. Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived lung organoids in an ex vivo model of congenital diaphragmatic hernia fetal lung. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2021, PMID: 32949227

Biancotti JC, Walker KA, Jiang G, Di Bernardo J, Shea LD, Kunisaki SM. Hydrogel and neural progenitor cell delivery supports organotypic fetal spinal cord development in an ex vivo model of prenatal spina bifida repair. Journal of Tissue Engineering 2020, PMID: 32782773.

Kunisaki SM. Amniotic fluid stem cells for the treatment of surgical disorders in the fetus and neonate. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2018, 7:767-773

Research in the Quantitative Imaging Technologies lab — a component of the Imaging for Surgery, Therapy and Radiology (I-STAR) Lab — focuses on novel technologies to derive accurate structural and physiological measurements from medical images. Our team works on optimization of imaging systems and algorithms to support a variety of quantitative applications, with recent focus on orthopedics and bone health. For example, we have developed an ultra-high resolution imaging chain for an orthopedic CT system to enable in-vivo measurements of bone microstructure. Our interests also include automated methods to extract quantitative information from images, including anatomical and micro-structural measurements, and shape analysis.

Research in the Liudmila Cebotaru Lab studies cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutants. We also investigate corrector molecules that are currently in clinical trials to get a better understanding of their mechanism of action. A major focus of our research is on developing more efficient gene therapy vectors with the ultimate goal of developing a gene therapy for cystic fibrosis.

Research in the Lilly Engineer Lab examines the quality and safety of medical care, with a focus on rural and underserved communities. Our current research evaluates methods for improving immunization rates among inner-city populations of school-aged children. We are also exploring the effect of federal policy changes and health care market forces on rural hospitals in the United States.

Research in the Larissa Shimoda Lab focuses on several important topics within pulmonary and critical care medicine. We primarily study pulmonary arterial responses to chronic hypoxia as well as hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and oxidant-mediated lung injury. Our recent research has included investigating the effects of chronic hypoxia on pulmonary circulation and the ways in which hypoxia-inducible factors impact pulmonary vascular responses to hypoxia. We have also studied vascular remodeling in patients with pulmonary hypertension.