Sperling, Anne I.
Primary Appointment
Professor, Medicine- Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Education
- AB, Biology, Smith College
- PhD, Immunology, Tufts University, Boston, MA
Contact Information
Email: anne.sperling@virginia.edu
Research Disciplines
Biology, Experimental Pathology, Immunology, Neuroimmunology, Translational Science
Research Interests
Immune Responses in asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, and lung injury.
Research Description
The Sperling lab focuses on the role of the immune system in the development and progression of lung disease. In mouse models, we have made significant contributions to our understanding of how T cell costimulatory molecules influence inflammation and disease, the role of lung dendritic cells in initiating type 2 inflammatory responses, and the regulation of inflammation resolution in allergic asthma. Our human translational studies have investigated how genetically regulated costimulatory molecule expression influences atopy, how asthma-protective environments impact immune profiles and function in farm children, and how immune cells in the blood, lymph nodes, and lungs of patients with progressive pulmonary fibrosis impact disease progression. Our studies have been published in numerous high-impact journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Immunity, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Journal of Experimental Medicine, Nature Communications, Blood, JACI, and Mucosal Immunology.