Lawrence Ostrowski

Dr. Lawrence Ostrowski is a Professor of Pediatrics at the UNC School of Medicine, specializing in the structure and function of cilia, diseases of mucociliary clearance, and gene therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF) and primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). His laboratory focuses on improving diagnosis and treatment of airway diseases through multidisciplinary research spanning basic science to translational applications.

• University: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• School: UNC School of Medicine
• Department: Department of Pediatrics
• Academic Rank: Professor

Research Interests center on:

• Structure and Function of Cilia: Investigating the "9+2" axoneme structure and over 300 proteins required for ciliary assembly.
• Diseases of Cilia: Studying genetic mutations in CF and PCD that impair mucociliary clearance.
• Gene Therapy: Developing vectors to correct genetic defects in ciliary disorders.
• Translational Studies: Testing novel drugs and therapies in murine and human models.

Recent Publications highlight work on:

• STAT3-regulated CFTR and ciliogenesis in Hyper-IgE syndrome
• WFDC2 deficiency causing nasal polyposis
• Ciliary orientation dynamics via matrix patterning
• Mucolytic treatments for PCD
• SPAG1's role in dynein arm assembly

Methodologies include:

• Inducible animal models
• Differentiated airway epithelial cultures
• Human tissue analysis
• RNA expression and proteomics
• In vivo ciliary activity measurements

Dr. Ostrowski is affiliated with the Marsico Lung Institute and has contributed extensively to understanding ciliary pathophysiology in airway diseases.