Research Interest

My research focuses on smooth muscle mechanics in the human lung. As part of a larger multi-scale investigation into human lung behaviour in healthy and asthmatic lungs I get the rare opportunity to work with live human lungs. I dissect airway smooth muscle from the lungs at several levels and investigate mechanical characteristics such as shortening velocity, length and force adaptation and response to simulated deep inspiration. These characteristics are compared between healthy and asthmatic lungs, in parallel with protein analyses by other members of the lab. Imaging of the airway tree is also undertaken to investigate the differences in airway smooth muscle orientation and structure in asthmatic lungs.

In between receiving the human lungs I work with Dr. Martin on atomic force measurements of smooth muscle and epithelial cell mechanical properties.