Laura Dada

Laura Dada, PhD is a Research Professor in the Department of Medicine (Pulmonary and Critical Care) at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Her work centers on viral pneumonia mechanisms, alveolar repair processes, and fibrosis development following respiratory infections including SARS-CoV-2.

Her educational background includes a PhD from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina (1996). Research interests focus on:

• Molecular mechanisms of viral pneumonia-induced ARDS (30-45% fatality rate)
• Transitional epithelial cell populations in lung repair
• Metabolic control of alveolar epithelial cell fate
• Hypercapnia's impact on β-catenin signaling and Wnt production
• 3D lung culture models for epithelial biology studies

Her publication trends reveal deep specialization in pulmonary pathophysiology, with recent work emphasizing mitochondrial stress responses, single-cell sequencing of lung tissue, and stromal-epithelial interactions in fibrosis. Key methodologies include spatial transcriptomics, organoid cultures, and animal models of viral injury.

Scientific recognition includes:

• AJRCMB Reviewer Award (American Thoracic Society, 2023)
• Editorial roles at Biomolecules (2022-present) and Frontiers in Immunology

Active in grant-funded research, she participates in Northwestern's $14 million NHLBI-funded project studying viral pneumonia repair mechanisms. Her lab develops 3D culture systems to investigate aging-related lung repair failure, with recent work demonstrating how hypercapnia disrupts Wnt signaling in alveolar progenitor cells.