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Research Activities

As Director of Pediatric Pulmonology for ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Children's Hospital in Orlando, I oversee all clinical and research functions for the Pulmonary Division and am responsible for research partnerships and collaborative initiatives with other sub-specialties and sponsors. I also have expertise in basic, clinical, and translational research in Cystic Fibrosis, Asthma, Sleep Medicine, Arousal and Ventilatory Responses, Oxidative Stress, and Alveolar Macrophage function. I have published collaboratively on several papers in the American Review of Respiratory Disease, Archives Biochemistry & Biophysics, Pediatric Pulmonology, American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, Journal of Applied Physiology, Free Radical Biology & Medicine, Chest, Pediatrics, and the New England Journal of Medicine. Currently, my research interests are in Cystic Fibrosis Therapeutics, Pediatric Asthma Outcomes, Asthma Genomics, and Inflammatory Response in Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Our ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Aerosol Research Laboratory in Orlando was founded in 1999 to evaluate delivery of inhaled therapies. The delivery of drugs directly to the lungs by the inhaled route improves efficacy and reduces side effects for treatment of lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF). Many of the new drugs are for treatment of CF lung disease. The CF Foundation estimates that there are more than two-dozen new drugs in development for the disease, and many require inhalation. Some of the new drug entities include inhaled antibiotics, airway wetting and clearance agents, long-acting bronchodilators, antioxidants, gene-modifying agents, and gene replacement therapy. With so many treatments for CF requiring inhalation, the time-burden on the patient is so great that non-adherence with therapy becomes a real problem. Therefore, this laboratory explores efficient new technologies to shorten treatment times and participates in clinical research projects designed to improve treatment adherence and study new therapies.

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Orlando is in a unique position to advance the progress in inhaled drug development. Researchers have the capability of testing various drugs and delivery devices in the lab and have the clinical population and experience to carry that research forward into phase 1 through phase 3 testing. The unique strategy employed by the Aerosol Lab for clinical trials has led to success in enrollment and has allowed investigators to participate in the data analysis and present the data from multicenter trials both at meetings and in publications. The Lab opens up new avenues for patients to experience cutting-edge therapies and gives them hope for a better tomorrow. It also has allowed ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ to participate on a national and international level to affect the care of children with CF and respiratory diseases.