Maria I. Ramirez, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine
Contact
1020 Locust Street
Jefferson Alumni Hall, Room 425H
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-955-5506
215-503-5731 fax
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Maria I. Ramirez, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine
Research & Clinical Interests
Epithelial cells which line the airways of the lung play a central role in almost all essential pulmonary functions, including barrier protection, mucociliary clearance and respiratory gas-exchange. Moreover, functional decline in these cells underlies the development of most, if not all, respiratory diseases. Correct spatial and temporal patterns of gene expression in lung epithelial cells are essential for establishing a working lung that is not just ready for the first breath of life, but also can sustain respiration into the late stages of adulthood. However, aging, as well as various pulmonary insults, such as infections and environmental exposures, alter normal patterns of gene expression in the lung epithelium, leading to abnormal repair and regenerative mechanisms which drive the lung toward disease. To this end, my laboratory studies the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that regulate lung epithelial gene expression patterns during prenatal, postnatal and various disease states. By studying the mechanisms that regulate gene expression in the lung epithelium we will better understand how diseases are initiated and will contribute to development of more effective therapies for both childhood and adult lung diseases.
Education
Parker B. Francis Scholar, 1998-2001
Post-doctoral, Boston University School of Medicine, 1994-1998
Post-doctoral, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, 1992-1994
PhD Chemistry, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina 1985
BA/MS Chemistry, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina 1979
Publications
- Activation of the mTORC1/PGC-1 axis promotes mitochondrial biogenesis and induces cellular senescence in the lung epithelium
- NKX2-1-AS1 negatively regulates CD274/PD-L1, cell-cell interaction genes, and limits human lung carcinoma cell migration
- ETS1 regulates Twist1 transcription in a Kras G12D /Lkb1 −/− metastatic lung tumor model of non-small cell lung cancer
- Epithelial cell-derived secreted and transmembrane 1a signals to activated neutrophils during pneumococcal pneumonia
- PKA and CDK5 can phosphorylate specific serines on the intracellular domain of podoplanin (PDPN) to inhibit cell motility
Professional Societies
- American Thoracic Society
- Society for Developmental Biology