Research Interest

Transplant Immunology: Mechanisms involved in allogeneic acute and chronic graft rejection; Development of new immunosuppressive agents for heart and lung transplantation; Inhaled immunosuppression after lung transplantation to prevent acute and chronic graft rejection; Mechanisms of immune tolerance (immunotolerance windows and specific T cell modulation); Gene therapy for modulating immunogenicity of heart and lung transplants; Developing novel humanized models to study chronic rejection of thoracic transplants (transplant vasculopathy and bronchiolitis obliterans); The role of mtDNA in allograft rejection.
Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology: Immunobiology of various adult stem cells from different sources (umbilical corld lining, bone marrow); pluirpotent stem cells (embryonic stem cells, iPS cells) in cardiac repair; Immunogenicity pluripotent stem cells and their rejection in allogeneic, xenogeneic, and humanized models; Gene therapy for stem cell homing, and to prolong cell survival; Tissue engineering using pluripotent stem cells for cardiac repair; Gene therapy to avoid immune responses after allogeneic transplantation of stem cells and their derivates.

Vascular Biology: Cell-based strategies as novel therapeutic options in vascular diseases; Revealing novel mechanisms in the development of intimal hyperplasia; Developing novel humanized models to study the development of intimal hyperplasia and in stent re-stenosis; microRNAs and vascular biology.