The Mikacenic lab is focused on understanding how lung immune cells contribute to inflammation, repair, and fibrosis.
Our translational approach uses well curated samples from clinical cohorts to perform deep immune profiling. We obtain alveolar lavage samples, lung tissue samples, and/or peripheral blood from patients with acute illnesses like sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome. We also study chronic lung conditions like interstitial lung disease and fibrosis that can occur in patients with and without autoimmune disease.
The goal of these studies is to understand how the immune system contributes to the development of lung injury or fibrosis in order to identify novel treatment strategies that will prevent or slow the progression of disease.
Carmen Mikacenic, MD
Lab Members
Holly Akilesh, PhD
Anne Chaize
Zoie Franklin
Sarah Holton, MD, PhD
Eric Morrell, MD
Research Projects
Immune Checkpoints in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)
Macrophage Heterogeneity and Lung Inflammation and Fibrosis
Systems Immunology Profiling of Respiratory Viral Infections in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Featured Publications
Mediators of monocyte chemotaxis and matrix remodeling are associated with mortality and pulmonary fibroproliferation in patients with severe COVID-19.
PLoS One
Identification of biomarkers for COVID-19 associated secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.
bioRxiv
PD-L1 and PD-1 Are Associated with Clinical Outcomes and Alveolar Immune Cell Activation in ARDS.
Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol
The transcriptional and phenotypic characteristics that define alveolar macrophage subsets in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure.
Nat Commun
Reply: Research Bronchoscopy Standards and the Need for Non-Invasive Sampling of the Failing Lungs.
Ann Am Thorac Soc
Meet BRI's Summer 2023 Interns
Immunology to Change Lives: Where We're Going in 2023
BRI was formed with a clear plan: First, answer key fundamental questions about the immune system. Then, build on those answers to change lives. This is a very exciting time because we’re reaching that second stage of the plan.
$11.4 Million to Explore Link Between Viruses and Immune System Diseases
Understanding how viruses impact the immune system has long been a focus at BRI. Two years of pandemic life have made answering two questions particularly important: Can respiratory viruses like the common cold or COVID-19 start the chain reaction that leads to immune system disease?
News
BRI Investigators Jane Buckner, MD, and Carmen Mikacenic, MD, Interviewed on the Arthritis Life Podcast
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Benaroya Research Institute Awarded $11.4M NIH U19 Grant to Profile Respiratory Viral Infections in Vulnerable Populations and $3.9M NIH R01 Grant to Develop New Treatments for Type 1 Diabetes
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