Organoid Models of Human Lung Injury
Monica Yun Liu, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist investigating the mechanisms of lung injury and repair using patient-derived organoid models. She runs the UW Pulmonary Biorepository and Lung Transplant Biorepository, which collect excess clinical specimens to support research.
Patient-Derived Lung Organoids
Our group is interested in using lung organoids as a patient-specific translational research tool. Organoids are powerful experimental models but traditionally rely on obtaining lung tissue, which is not commonly available. To align organoid technology with routine clinical care, we developed methods to generate organoids from patients’ bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. We continue to build more sophisticated models to investigate understudied lung diseases and potential treatments.
Uncovering Mechanisms of Lung Transplant Rejection
Our focus has been on applying BAL-derived organoids to understand acute cellular rejection (ACR), a common complication after lung transplant. We are characterizing organoids from patients with and without ACR to reveal potential mechanisms of epithelial injury. While most studies of rejection have examined immune activation, our approach is from the angle of end-organ damage. We hope this may yield new diagnostic and treatment options for patients.
Research Team
Clinical Research Coordinator
Research Specialist
UW–Madison Undergraduate
UW–Madison Undergraduate
We are a motivated, tight-knit group seeking a postdoc or staff scientist to join our team! We also welcome medical students, residents, and fellows who want to engage in laboratory research or other scholarly projects.
If you are interested, please send a brief cover letter and CV to Dr. Liu.
Active Projects
- Epithelial-Immune Cell Co-Cultures
We are determining the donor-recipient origin of epithelial organoids and BAL immune cells to improve our models of lung transplant rejection. We aim to establish matched and mismatched co-cultures to study and potentially predict immune-on-epithelial attack. This project includes elements of cell biology and immunology.
- Validate and Manipulate Mechanisms of Lung Transplant Rejection
We are validating candidate genes and pathways that may be important in acute cellular rejection. The goal is to narrow down to a few focused mechanisms that can be tested in our organoid systems, which may inform potential treatments. This project involves cell and molecular biology and later biochemistry and genetics.
- Epigenetics of Inflammation
Our data so far suggest that cells may continue to behave differently after an episode of lung transplant rejection. We are interested in epigenomic profiling of DNA and chromatin modifications. This project incorporates cell biology, (epi)genetics, and bioinformatics.
Funding Support
Dr. Liu’s research is funded by the American Thoracic Society and by the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research KL2 Scholars Program, which is supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.
