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| Investigator: |
Phone: (404) 321-6111 ext. 6935
Email: [email protected]
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| Primary Research Interest: |
Internal Medicine |
| Description of Research: |
My research program is translational and has both laboratory-based projects as well as investigator-initiated clinical trials. We employ experimental models and of chronic alcohol ingestion and HIV-1-related protein expression in rodents and extend our experimental findings to translational studies in human subjects. with alcohol abuse and/or HIV-1 infection through multiple projects, including an NIH-funded clinical R01 on HIV-1 infection and alveolar macrophage dysfunction, and a VA Research Career Development Award for Ashish Mehta (I am his mentor). Specific areas of focus include: 1) the role of zinc deficiency in the alcoholic lung as well as in chronic HIV, 2) oxidative stress and glutathione depletion as a central feature of both chronic stresses, and 3) the potential efficacy of dietary supplements with zinc and/or S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe; a glutathione precursor) to limit the lung dysfunction caused by alcohol and/or HIV-1 infection. These translational projects are also incorporated into my mentoring of Sushma Cribbs, MD who is a junior clinical investigator based at the VA who is also applying for a VA Merit Review Award. |
| Relevance to VA: |
Alcohol abuse and HIV-1 infection are two of the highest impact health problems within the veteran population. My research focuses on identifying the mechanisms by which alcohol and HIV render the lung more susceptible to infections and other types of injuries, and is testing novel therapies designed to improve lung health in these vulnerable individuals. If successful, our research could have an enormous impact on the care of veterans suffering from the effects of chronic alcohol abuse and/or HIV-1 infection. |
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