In this section

Inflammation, Repair and Development

LPS 48 hour

Contact

Head of Section

Professor Sejal Saglani
s.saglani@imperial.ac.uk

If you are interested in working with a particular group, please e-mail anyone of the Principal Investigators through the e-mail links on individual webpages.

Study with NHLI View a selection of our publications

What we do

The Inflammation Repair and Development (IRD) Section encompasses research in immunobiology of leukocytes, the blood cells that function as part of the body's immune system, and their interaction with lung tissue, integrated with investigation of developmental, environmental or medical factors that contribute to lung disease. We study diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, interstitial lung diseases (ILD), respiratory infections and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Why it is important

Respiratory disease is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, however effective treatments for many lung diseases are limited, they may provide symptom relief, but few are disease modifying. At the same time certain medical interventions aimed at prolonging life, such as mechanical ventilation, can cause injury to the lungs which may lead to acute lung damage or long-term structural changes. Our section aims to identify new treatments to repair disease or damaged lungs.
A fundamental knowledge of the immunobiology of leukocytes is essential to understand how the body reacts to environmental insults, infection and injury. We investigate leukocyte development, from bone marrow, their recruitment, retention and recirculation through tissues and their role in maintenance of immune homeostasis within the lung as well as their contribution to host defence during infections.

Impact of our research

Research by groups in our section has:

Discovered a new sub-lingual (under the tongue) treatment for hayfever.
Identified a novel class of drugs to reduce inflammation in chronic neutrophilic lung diseases such as COPD and severe asthma that are currently being developed for use in man.
Pioneered tailored treatments for children with asthma by using age-appropriate in vivo models along with patient samples.
Identified key proteins that are altered in in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), these are currently being followed up in international clinical trials as potential treatment biomarkers.

Our research hubs

Inflammation and immunology

Researching the factors underlying immune surveillance of the lung, and the response to infection and allergens, to better understand how our immune system keeps our lungs healthy.

Development, regeneration and repair

Investigating how developmental, environmental or medical factors contribute to lung disease and aiming to discover novel treatments to repair or induce regeneration of the lung.