Research Interests:
Pulmonary Biochemical Toxicology
The respiratory system is unique because of its very large surface area which is constantly exposed to the environment through inhalation of air. The increasing incidence of lung disease associated with environmental factors and chemicals can therefore be caused by agents present in the air, or carried to the lungs by the bloodstream.
Biochemical and Molecular Basis of Pulmonary Susceptibility to Carcinogens
We are examining the balance of pulmonary enzyme systems in the toxification (i.e. metabolic activation) and detoxification of cancer-causing chemicals, as well as the molecular consequences (i.e. protooncogene activation, tumour suppressor gene inactivation) of reactive metabolite binding to cellular DNA. Emphasis is placed on the roles different lung cell types play in these processes.
Biochemical Basis for Drug-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis
Treatment of patients with the antidysrhythmic drug, amiodarone, can result in life-threatening pulmonary fibrosis (i.e. accumulation of connective tissue in the lungs). We are studying which cellular processes are disrupted by amiodarone, leading to cell death and subsequent fibrosis