M. Paige Lacy

asthma, acute lung injury, pneumonia, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Our research has focused on innate immune cells, including eosinophils and neutrophils, and how they release cytokines and pro-inflammatory mediators by exocytotic secretion. We have demonstrated that exocytosis from neutrophils and eosinophils is dependent on Rho GTPases and SNAREs, intracellular receptors required for the docking and fusion of secretory vesicles and granules. I collaborate with colleagues internationally to understand the specific roles of these regulatory proteins in mouse models of allergic airway inflammation, pneumonia, and acute lung injury. We also showed that metabolomics, using nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of complex biological fluids, is a potentially important new development in the evaluation of biomarkers for lung diseases including pneumonia. I have trained numerous MSc and PhD students over the last 13 years. Currently we are investigating the role of Rab27a GTPase and SNAREs in airway inflammation, as well as the effects of Rac2 GTPase on neutrophil activation and secretion in a mouse model of fibrotic lung injury.