The research programs in the Division of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine reflect the broad range of interests of the group. Researchers have participated in the Wisconsin Cystic Fibrosis Newborn Screening Project since 1985. Dr. Hara Levy has funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for her genetic and genomic investigation of cystic fibrosis (CF).
In the sleep program, investigators have looked at mechanisms of upper airway obstruction in children with obstructive sleep apnea and management of upper airway obstruction with mandibular distraction in children with Pierre-Robin syndrome.
Finally, investigators are looking at the epidemiology of rural asthma.
Pediatric Pulmonologist Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Medical College of Wisconsin Investigator Children’s Research Institute Research Interests Integrating Genetics and Genomics The Levy lab focuses on integrating genetic and genomics to advance the understanding of the contribution of environmental, genetic, and epigenetic factors influencing the progression of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease. An understanding of the link between the CFTR gene defect, responsible for CF, and functional impairment that leads to clinical sequelae should help in the development of cellular and molecular markers that are easily measured and predictive of therapeutic efficacy such as the restoration of the host defense function. This would allow for a direct link between gene expression and functional correlation applicable in CF and also more common chronic inflammatory lung diseases. Currently, we are using the samples from the Wisconsin newborn screening project, as well as additional clinical samples from patients followed clinically at our CF centers, to identify non-invasive gene expression markers for CF by generating a genome-wide expression profile of serum samples from CF patients over time, thereby defining a unique expression signature as it correlates to infection status and lung function. Therefore, our research is helping to generate a unique molecular signature and associated risk established early in life providing unprecedented opportunity for novel prognostic and therapeutic interventions in CF and perhaps a model for other chronic inflammatory lung diseases. Our studies further identify an innovative assay which could potentially define a pathogen specific response, provide data associated with disease phenotypes and support the use of an integrated approach to move beyond marker identification to mechanism discovery. Further, utilizing these microarray studies from our laboratory, we have confirmed the ability to use this technology for the identification of molecular signatures that track with genotype and clinical phenotype. Through this application, we have begun to harness the functional genomics infrastructure to longitudinally dissect molecular events in CF in response to infection status and integrate with genotyping in a manner not previously possible. Our future goals include identification of a series of non-CFTR candidate genes through integration of functional genomics and genetics that may impact the severity of CF lung disease and account for phenotypic heterogeneity. We hope to further the development of a highly accurate, cost effective global gene expression profiling in CF that is sufficiently sensitive to address discrete biologic questions utilizing the integration of genomics and genetics. Selected Publications:
Grant Support
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Research Staff:
Melissa Reske Research Associate mtickner@mcw.edu Rachel Bersie Clinical Research Coordinator rbersie@mcw.edu
Contact Information Phone: (414) 955-2379 Fax: (414) 266-6742 Email: hlevy@mcw.edu