Ann Harris Lab

The main research focus in the laboratory is on transcriptional networks that coordinate chromatin architecture and gene expression in epithelial cells lining the human lung, intestine, pancreas and male genital ducts.  These sites are all involved in the common human genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF).  The respiratory epithelium is also compromised in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.  The digestive tract epithelium is a site of active pathology in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other related disorders. Obstruction of the male genital ducts underlies several diseases resulting in male infertility, such as congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD). Moreover, epithelial cells are the sites of initiation of many types of cancer in the lung, pancreas and intestine. Hence, our work is pertinent to many diseases of epithelia and our research goals are to facilitate new therapeutics for these conditions.