Lung Cell & Molecular Biology and Bioengineering

Our research 

Over three million people die each year and over 60 million people suffer worldwide from chronic lung diseases (CLDs). Currently, there is no cure for CLDs, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary hypertension, and pulmonary fibrosis. Lung transplantation is the only option at end-stage disease and is further complicated by shortage in organs available for transplantation and low efficacy. Five-year survival rate has remained at 50% for the last decade. New options are desperately needed for these patients. 

Our lab focuses on how the extracellular environment directs stem cell behavior for endogenous and exogenous lung tissue regeneration. We use a multidisciplinary approach using advances in materials science (polymer design and synthesis), manufacturing (e.g. 3D bioprinting), and endogenous lung stem cells to construct these new models. 

Aims 

• Design and use of biologic (acellular) and synthetic scaffolds to bioengineer new lung tissue for transplantation. 

• Understand the role of the extracellular matrix in directing lung stem cell behaviour in vivo and ex vivo during regeneration (normal and pathologic)  

• Build and validate new models of human lung tissue and chronic lung disease to reduce animal usage and for use as drug discovery and therapeutic screening platforms

Impact 

Generating new lung tissue for transplantation could help to overcome the shortages in donor tissue available for patients with end stage lung disease and could further improve long-term survival if stem cells from the eventual transplant recipient are used.  

New models of chronic lung diseases from human-derived sources could help accelerate drug discovery and identify drugs which are the most promising for translation into the clinic.

List of Team Wagner's publications

Team

(name linked to profile in Lund University research portal)

Darcy Wagner

Principal Investigator, Darcy [dot] Wagner [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se (Darcy[dot]Wagner[at]med[dot]lu[dot]se)

John Stegmayr

Postdoc, John [dot] Stegmayr [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se (John[dot]Stegmayr[at]med[dot]lu[dot]se)

Hani Alsafadi

PhD student, Hani [dot] Alsafadi [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se (Hani[dot]Alsafadi[at]med[dot]lu[dot]se)

Iran Augusto Silva

PhD student, Hani [dot] Alsafadi [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se (Iran[dot]Augusto_Silva[at]med[dot]lu[dot]se)

Jiao Dong

PhD student, Jiao [dot] Dong [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se (Jiao[dot]Dong[at]med[dot]lu[dot]se)

Victoria Ptasinski

PhD student, Victoria [dot] Ptasinski [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se (Victoria[dot]Ptasinski[at]med[dot]lu[dot]se)

Nika Gvazava

Research Engineer, Nika [dot] Gvazava [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se (Nika[dot]Gvazava[at]med[dot]lu[dot]se)

Valeriia Haisanovska

Guest Researcher

Kristina Rydell Tormanen

Assistant Researcher, Kristina [dot] Rydell-Tormanen [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se (Kristina[dot]Rydell-Tormanen[at]med[dot]lu[dot]se)

Ingela Byström

Administrator, Ingela [dot] Bystrom [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se (Ingela[dot]Bystrom[at]med[dot]lu[dot]se)