Molecular and muscle strip mechanics in health and disease
Rafael Intrevado
Project :
I am a Master’s student in the Department of Experimental Medicine with a background in Microbiology and Immunology. In the lab, I investigate asthma by looking at airway smooth muscle and its interactions with cytokines and type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s). My experiments involve dissecting airway smooth muscle from transplant-grade human lungs and measuring their capacity for force generation, relaxation, and speed of shortening. I believe some of these parameters might change in response to co-incubation with ILC2s and the cytokines they produce, and that this may partly explain asthmatic bronchoconstriction. Ultimately, I hope that my experiments can grasp at the mystery of asthma and help to unravel a disease whose tendrils grip the lives of millions globally.
