About me 

It was a precious and memorable period of time for me that when I did my joined PhD training in Woolcock Institute under supervision of Prof Brian Oliver. In this friendly and supportive environment, I have obtained my skills on primary lung cell culture and studied the mechanism of airway tissue remodelling in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease COPD. Most importantly, I have gained invaluable friendship and mentorship from RRG. 

My research in the RRG

In my PhD studies I have shown that primary human airway smooth muscle cells are capable of incorporating exogenously produced soluble extracellular matrix proteins into the deposited extracellular matrix around the cells (PLoS One 2013), and that extracellular matrix proteins can influence the behaviours and functions of primary fibroblasts (Sci Rep 2015). I have also shown that cigarette smoke has effects on the airway remodelling in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by changing collagen deposition and matrix metalloproteinase production (Eur Respir J 2014). There studies highlight the complexity of extracellular matrix and it important effects on the airway remodelling and my skills in understanding the pathobiology of chronic lung disease. 

Where I am now

I currently work at Hunter Medical Research Institute as a postdoctoral fellow, specifically in developing In Vitro assays for predicting responses to Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator modulators in cystic fibrosis.