Current Research and Scholarly Interests
Acute lung tissue injury is often mediated by neutrophils. Our laboratory studied the basic biology of neutrophils and mechanisms of neutrophil-mediated pulmonary injury. Investigative approaches included the molecular biology of neutrophil activation, neutrophil ion channel regulation, mechanisms of signal transduction with an emphasis on protein phosphorylation, control of neutrophil activation and the use of animal models to investigate the use of agents and intermediaries which might attenuate neutrophil-mediated acute lung injury. Besides these areas of basic investigation, clinical studies in biomedical ethics were also pursued. For example: End-of-life decision making, differences in informed consent and decision making between patients and physicians in Japan and America, the efficacy of ethics committees in the United States, the new role of biomedical ethics in managed care; social, ethical and legal issues in genomics and genetic testing, and neuroethics.
