Our Research Team
The LGRC is comprised of five member institutions, their primary investigators who are leading the consortium’s research efforts, new hires made possible through ARRA funding, and additional research members and support staff:
MEMBER INSTITUTIONS
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Center for Cancer Computational Biology
The Center for Cancer Computational Biology (CCCB) serves as the LGRC’s data-coordinating center. This means it monitors the flow of data among the LGRC research partners, collects and integrates it, develops new methods to analyze the data, and presents this information to the scientific community, so it can be broadly used to better understand and treat lung disease. The CCCB also leads the LGRC's public outreach and education project by maintaining the Consortium's website. Visit the CCCB.
National Jewish Health, Center for Genes, Environment and Health
The Center for Genes, Environment and Health (CGEH) focuses on how biological and genetic factors interact with diseases that are influenced by environmental factors. One of its key roles within the LGRC is to perform deep sequencing and methylation studies. The CGEH is responsible for administering the consortium’s federal funding, as well as coordinating and integrating the scientific activities of the other member institutions. Dr. Schwartz heads the LGRC’s steering committee, working directly with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to assure that the LGRC efficiently and effectively achieves its project goals. Visit the CGEH.
University of Pittsburgh, Dorothy P. and Richard P. Simmons Center for Interstitial Lung Disease
Along with the University of Pittsburgh’s Lung, Blood and Vascular Center for Genomic Medicine, the CILD serves as the LGRC’s hub for extracting DNA and RNA from the approximately 1,300 lung tissue samples received from the Lung Tissue Research Consortium (LTRC) and for shipping these nucleic acids to the Consortium’s member institutions. It also performs gene expression and microRNA analyses to better understand the genetic factors that contribute to COPD and ILD. The CILD also works with LGRC research partners to validate findings. Visit the CILD.
Boston University, Section for Computational Biomedicine and the Pulmonary Center
The Section for Computational Biomedicine, together with Boston University’s Pulmonary Center, is performing next-generation sequencing studies using the RNA extracted from the LTRC’s lung tissue samples. This advanced technology provides an unprecedented look at the changes in gene and microRNA expression, changes in gene structure, and the mutational spectrum that occur in chronic lung disease. Visit the Pulmonary Center and other sections of the Boston University School of Medicine's Department of Medicine.
University of Colorado Denver, Genomics Core Facility
The Genomics Core Facility is searching for changes that occur in the DNA of patients suffering from COPD and ILD. By finding these changes and determining which genes they affect the facility can gain insight into the genes that are associated with lung disease. More important, by combining information about these changes with other data generated by LGRC members, its researchers hope to understand how and why these genetic changes manifest to cause the onset of disease. Visit the Genomics Core Facility.
PRIMARY INVESTIGATORS
Mark Geraci, M.D., University of Colorado Denver
Naftali Kaminski, M.D., University of Pittsburgh
John Quackenbush, Ph.D., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
David Schwartz, M.D., National Jewish Health
Frank Sciurba, M.D., University of Pittsburgh
Avrum Spira, M.D., Boston University
Ivana Yang, Ph.D., National Jewish Health
NEW HIRES
Boston University
Lingqi Luo, Xiaoling Zhang
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Victor Chistyakov, Lev Kuznetsov, Niall O'Connor, Alejandro Quiroz-Sarate
National Jewish Health
Corinne Hennessy, Jian Jing, Eva Laemmerhirt, Sonia Leach, Julia Turner
University of Colorado Denver
An Doan
University of Pittsburgh
Caroline Aboud, Joyce Chang, Brenda Juan Guardela, Dror Ledereman, Durwin Logue, Xinwei Wang
ADDITIONAL LGRC RESEARCH MEMBERS AND SUPPORT STAFF
Boston University
Jennifer Beane, Gang Liu, Marc Lenburg, and David Ulrich
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Stas Alekseev, Joan Coraccio, Julianna Coraccio, Mick Correll, Mary Kalamaras, Niall O'Connor, and Alissa Poh
National Jewish Health
Kevin Brown, Jennifer Kemp, and Steve Gronshong
University of Colorado Denver
Chris Coldren, Bifeng Gao, Marvin Schwartz, and Todd Woessner
University of Pittsburgh
Lara Chensny, David Gur, Joseph K. Leader, JoAnn Phillips-Kronz, Tom Richards, Steven Shapiro, John Tedrow, Mary Williams, and Bin Zheng
University of Michigan
Kevin Flaherty and Marty Frick
