Hagner awarded Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research Fellowship Grant

Miles Hagner, MD, instructor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine, was recently awarded a two-year FSR Sarcoidosis Research Fellowship Grant in the amount of $150,000 for his project, The Role of Airway Epithelial Responses in Sarcoidosis Pathophysiology.

Read the FSR’s press release here.

Sarcoidosis—a syndrome that results in the growth of inflammatory cells that form clusters called granulomas in different parts of the body—currently has an unknown pathogenesis, seemingly caused by a mix of environmental and genetic influences.

Most research conducted on sarcoidosis focuses on the immune cells, which eventually lead to the development of granulomas. Granulomas can act as a defense mechanism in the immune system, but for people living with sarcoidosis, they can overdevelop and lead to internal tissue injury. Hagner’s research involves studying the pathophysiology that leads to and drives this condition, with the ultimate goal of discovering new and targeted therapies for people with sarcoidosis.

“So, looking to study how this initial inhaled exposure might eventually lead to recruiting and driving inflammation, I am studying the airway epithelial cells in sarcoidosis patients,” Hagner said. “We are using airway epithelial cells obtained non-invasively from a nasal collection, growing them in culture, stimulating the epithelia with various exposures of interest, and then ultimately measuring their cellular responses to that stimulation.”

Hagner is mentored by Alejandro Pezzulo, MD, associate professor in Pulmonary, Critical Care and Occupational Medicine.

“We are fortunate to have Dr. Hagner in our team,” Pezzulo said. “His curiosity, persistence, and commitment to curing sarcoidosis make him an outstanding role model. I look forward to his discoveries!”

Nabeel Hamzeh, MD, professor in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine, acts as a co-mentor for this project. Hamzeh also provides clinical mentorship to Hagner by helping him develop expertise in caring for people with sarcoidosis.

Hamzeh was also recently awarded a grant in support of sarcoidosis research. Read about that here.

In addition to his mentors, Hagner would like to acknowledge Professors of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine, David Stoltz, MD, PhD and Joseph Zabner, MD; Associate Professors of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine, Alicia Gerke, MD, MBA and Lakshmi Durairaj, MD, MS; Research Associate Linda Powers, Research Coordinators Taylor Titterington, Brenda Werner and Courtney Wille, and the patients involved in this ongoing research for their contributions to improvements in available treatment for people living with sarcoidosis.