Faculty
Christiane Dammann, M.D.
Associate Professor
cdammann@tuftsmedicalcenter.org
My research is focused on factors (growth factors, hormones, and cytokines) involved in the regulation of normal lung development and lung injury in the setting of preterm birth. New treatment strategies for the prevention of lung disease (respiratory distress syndrome and bronchopulmonary dyslasia) in the setting of preterm birth are our major focus.
Dammann CEL, Nielsen HC, Carraway KL III. Role of neuregulin1 in the developing lung. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2003,Vol 167, 1711-16
Dammann CEL, Liu W, Nassimi N, Nielsen HC. Dexamethasone interacts with erbB signaling in fetal mouse surfactant synthesis. Eur Respir J 2006 Dec;28(6):1117-23.
Liu W, Murray S, Nielsen HC, Dammann CEL. The ErbB 4 receptor in fetal fibroblasts and epithelial type II cells. Biophys Biochim Acta 2007 Jul;1772(7):737-47.
Zscheppang K, Liu W, Volpe MV, Nielsen HC, Dammann CEL. ErbB4 regulates Fetal Surfactant Synthesis. AJP 2007 Aug;293(2):L429-35.
Dammann O, Bueter W, Leviton A, Gressens P, Dammann CEL.Neuregulin-1: a potential endogenous protector in perinatal brain white matter damage. Neonatology 2007, in press..
Olaf Dammann, DrMed, SM
Director of Clinical Research
odammann@tuftsmedicalcenter.org
My research is in the field of perinatal neuroepidemiology. The major goal is to identify and characterize risk factors for brain damage in newborns. One focus of this work is on intrauterine infection and the fetal inflammatory response.
Dammann O, Leviton A. Perinatal brain damage causation. Dev Neurosci 2007;29:280-8
Wolfberg AJ, Dammann O, Gressens P. Anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory strategies to protect the perinatal brain. Semin Fetal Neonatal Med 2007;12:296-302
Dammann O. Persistent neuro-inflammation in cerebral palsy: a therapeutic window of opportunity? Acta Paediatr 2007;96:6-7.
Dammann O, Bueter W, Leviton A, Gressens P, Dammann CE. Neuregulin-1: A Potential Endogenous Protector in Perinatal Brain White Matter Damage. Neonatology 2007;93:182-7.
Dammann O, Leviton A. Maternal intrauterine infection, cytokines, and brain damage in the preterm newborn. Pediatr Res 1997;42:1-8.
.
Ivan D. Frantz, III, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
ifrantz@tuftsmedicalcenter.org
My research has involved understanding of pulmonary physiology in the neonate and utilizing that understnding to develop or test new clinical approaches to treatment of neonatal pulmonary disease. Recently I have become principal investigator for the Tufts site of the NICHD Neonatal Research Network and am thus involved in a large number of clincal trials targeted at many neonatal disorders.
Frantz ID, Adler SM, Thach BT and Taeusch HW. Maturational effects on respiratory responses to carbon dioxide in premature infants. J Appl Physiol 1976;41:41 45.
Allen JL, Frantz ID and Fredberg JJ. Regional alveolar pressure during periodic flow: Dual manifestations of gas inertia. J Clin Invest 1985;76:620 629
The HIFI Study Group. High frequency oscillatory ventilation compared with conventional mechanical ventilation in the treatment of respiratory failure in preterm infants. N Engl J Med 1989;320:88-93.
Hoekstra RE, Jackson JC, Myers TF, Frantz ID, Stern ME, Powers WF, Maurer M, Raye JR, Carrier ST, Gunkel JH, Gold AJ. Improved neonatal survival following multiple doses of bovine surfactant in very premature infants at risk for respiratory distress syndrome. Pediatrics 1991;88;10-18.
Cole C, Colton T, Shah B, Abbasi S, MacKinnon B, Demissie S, Frantz ID. Early inhaled glucocorticoid therapy to prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia. N Engl J Med 1999;340:1005-1010.
Juliette C. Madan, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
jmadan@tuftsmedicalcenter.org
Research interests include patent ductus arteriosus therapies and associated outcomes in extremely low birthweight infants, maternal/neonatal nutrition and breastfeeding, probiotics.
Predictors of ductal closure and intestinal complications in VLBW infants treated with indomethacin. Neonatology 2008; 94:45-51.
Heber Nielsen, M.D.
Professor of Pediatrics and Anatomy and Cell Biology
hnielsen@tuftsmedicalcenter.org
My focus is on the fibroblast-type II cell communication process which directs maturation of surfactant production, and how this may be disrupted by competing signals and lung injury. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) controls fibroblast communication to type II cells. Communication to the type II cell is accomplished through a second growth factor neuregulin (NRG). Both EGF and NRG are ligands of the ErbB receptor family. My work focuses on the how EGF promotes the production and intracellular processing of NRG for release to act on type II cells, and on the mechanisms regulating the expression and activation of ErbB receptors in both fetal lung fibroblasts and type II cells.
Chetty A, Manzo N, Waxman A, Nielsen HC. Modulation of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 and -3 in hyperoxic injury in developing rat lung. Pediatric Research 58:222-228, 2005
Chetty A, Cao GJ, Nielsen HC. Insulin-like growth factor-1 signalling mechanisms, type I collagen and alpha smooth muscle actin in human fetal lung fibroblasts. Pediatric Research 60:389-394, 2006
Dammann CEL, Nassimi N, Liu W, Nielsen HC. Dexamethasone interacts with ErbB signaling in fetal mouse lung surfactant synthesis. European Respiratory Journal 28:1117-1123, 2006
Zscheppang K, Korenbaum E, Bueter W, Ramadurai S, Nielsen HC, Dammann CEL. ErbB4 receptor dimerization, localization and co-loclization in mouse lung type II epithelial cells. Pediatric Pulmonology 41:1205-1212, 2006
Villanueva D, Wang K, Nielsen HC, Ramadurai SM. Expression specific protein kinase C isoforms and ligand-specific activation of PKCa in late gestation fetal lung. Experimental Lung Research 33:185-196, 2007
Liu W, Zscheppang K, Murray S, Nielsen HC, Dammann CEL. The ErbB4 receptor in fetal rat lung fibroblasts and type II cells. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1772:737-747, 2007
Zscheppang K, Liu W, Volpe MV, Nielsen HC, Dammann CEL. ErbB4 regulates fetal surfactant phospholipid synthesis in primary fetal rat type II cells. American Journal of Physiology (Lung Cellular Molecular Physiology) 293:429-435, 2007
Chetty A, Cao G-J, Manzo N, Nielsen HC, Waxman A. The role of IL-11 and IL-6 in hyperoxic injury in developing lung. Pediatric Pulmonology In Press:-, 2008
Sujatha M Ramadurai, MD
Assistant Professor
sramadurai@tuftsmedicalcenter.org
The long-range goal is to define the molecular mechanisms initiating fibroblast-type II cell communication leading to lung maturation. Mesenchymal-epithelial interaction is crucial for epithelial cell commitment to the expression of the type II cell phenotype. Studies from our group and others indicate that neuregulin (NRG), leptin and Fibroblast Growth Factor produced by the fetal lung fibroblasts are active in mediating fibroblast-type II cell communication. The existing evidence indicates that NRG and leptin are two crucial molecules involved in the development of this process. Currently my focus is to identify mechanisms of crosstalk that would potentially involve these candidate factors. Signaling by Parathyroid Hormone Related Protein (PTHrP) receptor activation and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) are important for development of the lipofibroblast phenotype that produces fibroblast-type II cell communication through a common element, the activity of Phospholipase Cg1 (PLCg1). Understanding the role of PLCg signaling during lung development will permit the development of novel strategies to treat the Respiratory Distress Syndrome of neonates (RDS) and to better address the mechanisms of lung injury and repair consequent to RDS that lead to chronic lung disease, a major cause of morbidity.
Dammann CEL, Ramadurai SM, McCants DD, Pham LD, Nielsen HC. Androgen regulation of signaling pathways in late fetal mouse lung development. Endocrinology 2000; 141:2924-2929.
Ramadurai SM, Chen W-Y, Yerozolimsky GB, Zagami M, Dammann CEL, Nielsen HC. Cell-specific and developmental expression of phospholipase Cg (PLCg) and diacyglycerol in fetal lung. Am J Physiol (Lung Cell Mol Physiol) 2003; 284:L808-L816.
Zscheppang K, Korenbaum E, Bueter W, Ramadurai SM, Nielsen HC, Dammann CE. ErbB receptor dimerization, localization, and co-localization in mouse lung type II epithelial cells. Pediatric Pulmonology 2006 Dec;41(12):1205-12.
MaryAnn V. Volpe1, Sujatha M. Ramadurai1, Lucia D. Pham1, and Heber C. Nielsen1 HoxB-5 down regulation alters Tenascin-C, FGF10 AND HoxB gene expression patterns in pseudoglandular period fetal mouse lung. Frontiers in Bioscience 2007 Jan 1;12:860-73
Villanueva DG, Wang K, Nielsen HC, Ramadurai SM. Expression of specific protein kinase C isoforms and ligand-specific activation of PKCγ in late gestation. Experimental Lung Research 2007; 33:185-196.
MaryAnn V. Volpe, M.D.
Assistant Professor
mvolpe1@tuftsmedicalcenter.org
Proper morphogenesis of the fetal lung is a crucial but poorly-understood feature of fetal lung development. My research focuses on the morphoregulatory Hox proteins as master controls for specific events during airway formation and lung growth. The necessity of understanding Hox protein regulation of lung development cannot be understated as Hox proteins interact with many currently known regulators of lung development and maturation. However, these interactions have not been studied in the lung. My work has established that normal expression of Hoxb-5 is important for airway morphogenesis. Bronchopulmonary sequestration, and congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation, lung tumors which develop in the fetus, are associated with dysregulation of Hoxb-5 expression. Current work uses both in vivo and in vitro techniques, focusing on understanding how Hox protein regulation/dysregulation modulates downstream gene signaling during lung development and maturation, in lung repair, and in congenital and acquired lung disease in the newborn infant.
Volpe MV, Vosatka RJ, Nielsen HC. Hoxb-5 control of early airway formation during branching morphogenesis in the developing mouse lung. Biochim Biophys Acta 2000; 1475: 337-345.
Archavachotikul K, Ciccone TJ, Chinoy MR, Nielsen HC, Volpe MV. Thyroid hormone affects embryonic lung branching morphogenesis and cellular differentiation. Am J Phys 2002; 282: L359-369.
Chinoy MR, Nielsen HC, Volpe MV. Mesenchymal nuclear transcription factors in nitrofen-induced hypoplastic lung. J Surg Research 2003; 108:203-211.
Volpe MV, Pham L, Lessin M, Ralston SJ, Bhan I, Cutz E, Nielsen HC. Expression of Hoxb-5 during human lung development and in congenital lung malformations. Birth Defects Research Part A:Clinical and Molecular Teratology 2003; 67:550-556.
Volpe MV, Ramadurai SM, Pham LD, Nielsen HC. Hoxb-5 down regulation alters tenascin-C, FGF10, and Hoxb gene expression patterns in pseudoglandular period fetal mouse lung. Frontiers in Bioscience. 2007; 12: 860-873