Biological and Biomedical Science
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Bruce D. Levy

Department of Internal Medicine
Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Division
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Thorn Building, Room 826A
20 Shattuck Street
Boston, MA 02115
Tel: (617) 525-8362
Fax: (617) 232-4623
Email: blevy@partners.org
4 postdoctoral fellows, 1 predoctoral student

Research in the Levy Lab focuses on endogenous mechanisms for resolution of lung inflammation and injury. The laboratory’s overall mission is to identify natural small molecule regulators of the severity and duration of innate and adaptive immune responses in the lung and their relationship to human diseases, such as asthma.

Of particular interest are the molecular signaling circuits for autacoids that promote resolution, such as lipoxins, protectins and resolvins from arachidonic acid and the omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acid, respectively. In addition, we have laid the groundwork for polyisoprenyl phosphate remodeling to serve as a new counter-regulatory signal transduction pathway in leukocytes and lung parenchymal cells.

Our research also actively translates these basic observations to the genesis of human illness to gain a molecular understanding of the pathobiology of inflammatory lung disease and to use these insights towards new therapeutic strategies for refractory lung diseases, such as acute lung injury/ARDS and severe asthma.

 

References:

  • Bonnans, C, Fukunaga, K, Keledjian, R, Petasis, NA, Levy, BD. Regulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase by polyisoprenyl phosphates in neutrophil-mediated tissue injury. Journal of Experimental Medicine. 2006. 203:857-63.
  • Levy, BD, Kohli, P, Gotlinger, K, Haworth, O, Hong, S, Kazani, S, Israel, E, Haley, KJ, Serhan, CN. Protectin D1 is generated in asthma and dampens airway inflammation and hyper-responsiveness. Journal of Immunology. 2007.178(1): 496-502.
  • Levy, BD, Lukacs, NW, Berlin, AA, Schmidt, B, Guilford, WJ, Serhan, CN, Parkinson, JF. Lipoxin A4 stable analogs reduce allergic airway responses via mechanisms distinct from CysLT1 receptor antagonism. FASEB Journal. 2007. Dec;21(14):3877-84.
  • Haworth, O, Cernadas, M, Yang, R, Serhan, CN, Levy, BD. Resolvin E1 regulates interleukin-23, interferon-g and lipoxin A4 to promote the resolution of allergic airway inflammation. Nature Immunology. 2008. in press.