Research
I did my PhD at the Institute of Marine Biology (Vladivostok, Russia) and at the Institute of Molecular Biology (Salzburg, Austria). I studied smooth muscle contraction of invertebrate and vertebrate animals in order to understand the molecular mechanism underlying in prolonged contraction without energy consumption (catch and latch states). I then did a post-doc at the Institute of Biomedical Aging Research (Innsbruck, Austria) where I studied smooth muscle enzyme kinetics of myosin light chain phosphorylation. I jointed the Lauzon laboratory at Meakins-Christie Labs in January 2011 to study airway smooth muscle mechanics at the tissue and molecular levels. My current projects focus on understanding the role of airway smooth muscle in the pathophysiology of asthma. Currently I am using an allergic rat model to determine the effects of inflammatory cells (CD4+ T cells) on airway smooth muscle contractility, velocity of shortening and contractile protein expression.
