Stripp lab: Members

Lab Members	(alphabetical)	Research Interests
	Hazel Asumu, undergraduate lab assistant hazel.asumu@duke.edu	Hazel is a Duke University undergraduate and is finding time between courses to help out in the lab, and still somehow always keep smiling!
	Brian Brockway, technician brian.brockway@duke.edu	As a former teacher, my daily focus has changed from interacting with students to interacting with noxious respiratory toxicants. This is proof that one's life can, in fact, improve. I try to help keep the lab running, and focus the leftover time more on techniques than projects per se. I generally try to focus on microscopy and tackling new reagents that can allow us to answer new questions.
	Huaiyong Chen, PhD huaiyong.chen@duke.edu	I obtained my Ph.D from the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing. I performed post-doctoral studies investigating the immunobiology of granuloma formation in the laboratory of Dr. Garnett Kelsoe. I joined Dr. Stripp’s laboratory in August, 2008 as a post-doctoral fellow with interests in furthering my academic development to investigate mechanisms of lung tissue regeneration. My areas of active research include defining airway progenitor cell subsets and the development of in vitro assays to evaluate their behavior. I have used novel transgenic mouse lines developed in the Stripp lab coupled with gene expression profiling to identify genes that distinguish progenitor cell subsets and hope to use this information to trace progenitor cell fate in vivo. I am also interested in lung development and how adult tissue stem cells are specified in the developing lung.
	Jeff Drake, technician jeffrey.drake@duke.edu	In addition to keeping the lab running, Jeff shoulders a lot of the classical molecular biology work of the lab. Jeff somehow exerts a mellowing influence on the rest of the lab. Must be his "special tea"; ask him about it!
	Shuichi Hashimoto, MD, PhD shuichi.hashimoto@duke.edu	My first research work in Kyushu University, Japan, was to purify the CC10 protein from Monkey Lung lavage and complete the sequencing of the protein and hypothesize its function from the predicted structure. Then I raised the anti-human CC10 antibody and characterized the temporal and spatial distribution of CC10 expression in human lung development. I also conducted pathological research on human lung cancer by using this antibody. In the US, I learned an organ culture model of embryonic rat lung at Dr. Sikandar Katyal’s lab in University of Pittsburgh, and clarified pathological change and gene expression related to FGF-10 by DNA Micro-array analysis in the developing rat lung. Now in Duke University, I am investigating lung stem cell biology in relation to the function of b-catenin, a key component of canonical Wnt signaling, in lung development and in repair processes after the lung injury by using SP-C or CCSP/Cre/Ctnnb1 lox(e3) transgenic mice. In addition, I am exploring the role of beta-catenin on lung epithelial cells, lung stem or embryonic stem cells, with respect to cell maintenance, cell fate and differentiation by comparing the function of the three different isoforms of beta-catenin newly constructed and cloned into HPRT targeting vectors.
	Linda Jiang, undergraduate independent study student	Linda started with the lab as a summer lab assistant and is currently undertaking independent research projects as part of her studies at Duke. She is currently focusing on the biology of TGF Beta receptor II in airway epithelial cells.
	Lixia Luo, technician lixia.luo@duke.edu	Lixia somehow manages to organize and maintain all of our mouse lines, despite some not-so-organized colleagues! She is a life saver!
	Keitaro Matsumoto, MD keitaro.matsumoto@duke.edu	Keitaro: I obtained my medical training at Nagasaki University and performed a residency in general and thoracic surgery. I also completed my Ph.D. at Nagasaki and performed research investigating growth factor regulation of lung tissue regeneration in a rat model. During this work I adapted a method allowing plasmid-based gene delivery to lung epithelium in vivo. I became a post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Stripp’s laboratory in June of 2008. My research interests include development of transplantation models to investigate the functional behavior of airway stem/progenitor cells in addition to defining signaling pathways that mediate epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in the normal and repairing lung.
	Josh Snyder, Graduate Student joshua.snyder@duke.edu	I joined Dr. Stripp’s laboratory as a graduate student following completion of my B.S. in Biochemistry from Grove City College in 2004. Currently, I am working on several projects as I progress towards graduation and defense of my dissertation research. In my research I have utilized whole genome expression profiling and bioinformatic analysis to deduce molecular pathways that control lung inflammation and epithelial injury. These studies are beginning to unravel the complex epithelial, monocyte/macrophage, and mesenchymal signaling networks underlying the inflammatory response and airway epithelial repair. More recently, I have also embarked on a new series of experiments that will investigate airway epithelial progenitor cell behavior during epithelial maintenance at steady-state and following injury. In my spare time I like to spend time with my Wife, dog, and watch the Pittsburgh Steelers. I also enjoy cycling and fishing when I am not in the lab.
	Barry Stripp, PI barry.stripp@duke.edu	Our past and ongoing interests have taken advantage of novel animal models to investigate the biology of epithelia lining airways. In addition to these basic studies the lab is committed to extrapolate novel findings from animal models to human disease. Our recent relocation to the Pulmonary Division at Duke University has enhanced our ability to link basic research observations to lung disease in patients. Progress in these efforts would not be possible without funding from both the NHLBI and NIEHS, in addition to exceptional trainees and technical associates.
	Roxana Teisanu, MD, Graduate Student roxana.teisanu@duke.edu	My main interest is identification of cell surface markers for the bronchiolar stem cell and for different other members of the bronchiolar stem cell hierarchy that would allow their prospective isolation. I am also developing in vitro and transplantation assays to assess the functional differences between the stem and the facultative transit-amplifying cell populations.