Michael Podolsky,

My goal is to understand mechanisms of extracellular matrix metabolism in the lung in health and in disease. During my training as a medical resident and fellow in pulmonary and critical care medicine, I was struck by the high morbidity and mortality of pulmonary fibrosis and the lack of available therapies. Pulmonary fibrosis is a disease with significant unmet medical need. Although fibrosis can resolve, the pathways responsible for resolution of fibrosis are largely unknown. Furthermore, the regulatory elements that control degradation of pathological extracellular matrix by cells are also incompletely elucidated. I hope to address these knowledge gaps and in so doing provide the basis for novel therapeutic approaches to promote resolution of fibrosis. During my medical training and postdoctoral research fellowship, I received thorough and sequential training in clinical medicine and basic biomedical research. With this background and the environment provided by my co-mentors Dr. Kamran Atabai and Dr. Dean Sheppard in the Cardiovascular Research Institute, I am fully prepared to continue this research and complete my transition to independence. The research program I have proposed in this application will build upon my prior background as I transition to independent investigator and will allow me to address these significant problems in the study of fibrotic disease.