Research into lung physiology and pathology at the University of Brighton focuses on elements affecting the process of mucociliary transport.
In humans, every day approximately 100m2 of delicate alveolar tissue is exposed to nearly 10,000 litres of inspired air. The lung possesses a range of defence mechanisms to prevent material in the inspired air from damaging these tissues, mucociliary clearance being important in this respect. This protective mechanism is predominantly found in larger airways and involves the entrapment of the inhaled material in mucus lining the airway lumen, which is then transported up and out of the airways. However, in a number of respiratory diseases e.g. asthma, cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), this mechanism can be ineffective and lead to serious, potentially life threatening, lung damage.
Research in the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences employs pharmacological, cell and molecular biological approaches to study the individual components of the mucociliary system, namely, mucus (mucin) secretion, ciliary beat, and ion and fluid transport. It is the aim of this research to understand how these processes are regulated, how they are changed in disease and to investigate potential new therapies which improve mucociliary function in diseased airways. Studies into the regulation of mucin secretion and ciliary beat are conducted by Dr Mike Lethem and Dr Alison Lansbury, with a particular focus on the role of peptide hormones and proteases in regulating mucociliary function and also in the development of novel in vitro systems for studying airway epithelial function.
Cillia Video - Click to see a video of airway epithelium with beating cilia (windows media player)
Mucociliary Transport Video - Click to see a video showing fine carbon particles being transported across the surface of airway epithelium by mucociliary transport. (windows media player)
