About

Dr. Ostrowski is a scientist affiliated with the division of Pediatric Pulmonology.

The overall focus of research in my laboratory is to improve the diagnosis and treatment of airway diseases, especially those that result from impaired mucociliary clearance. Mucociliary clearance is the process by which inhaled pathogens and particulate matter are swept out of the lungs by the coordinated beating of the cilia that line the airways. In particular, our efforts focus on the diseases cystic fibrosis and primary ciliary dyskinesia, two inherited diseases caused by mutations that impair mucociliary clearance and lead to recurrent lung infections. The work in our laboratory ranges from basic studies of ciliated cells and the proteins that make up the complex structure of the motile cilia, to translational studies of new drugs and gene therapy vectors. Our laboratory uses a number of model systems, including traditional and inducible animal models, in vitro culture of differentiated mouse and human airway epithelial cells, and direct studies of human tissues. We also use a wide range of experimental techniques, from studies of RNA expression and proteomics to measuring ciliary activity in cultured cells and whole animals.