Christopher Pastore was awarded the NIH F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which begins on September 1, 2026. Christopher received his Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from the University of Pittsburgh and is currently a doctoral candidate in Microbiology working in Dr. Anne Sperling’s laboratory.
We asked Christopher to tell us about his research and hopes for the future:
Tell us about your research:
The Sperling lab studies asthma/allergy, lung injury, and fibrotic lung diseases. In particular, we investigate how the immune response can be pathological and/or protective. Following acute lung injury, the immune response can protect the host from pathogens while simultaneously promote barrier repair and restore lung function. The Sperling lab has discovered that an immune cytokine, interleukin-5 (IL-5), can promote survival from acute lung injury. I am interested in what types of cells are responding to IL-5 through its receptor and the mechanisms that promote survival and whether these responses are potentially a risk for developing fibrosis long-term.
What drives or motivates your scientific pursuits?
Ever since taking an undergraduate immunology course, I have been intrigued by how the host defends itself against pathogens. Now, there are so many successful therapeutics for the activation or silencing of the immune response for diseases such as asthma, arthritis, cancer, and more. I am motivated to expand upon our knowledge of the immune system so we can properly enhance or inhibit it to our advantage.
What are your future goals?
Currently, I plan to pursue a postdoc in academia continuing to study immune responses. I have been fortunate to have been mentored by some incredible people, and I hope to be able to do the same for the future generations of scientists.