Dr. Harissios Vliagoftis, MD Professor and Director Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine Dr. Harissios Vliagoftis, MD Professor and Director Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine

My laboratory focuses on understanding the mechanisms leading to allergic sensitization and allergic airway inflammation. We are particularly interested in the role of serine proteinases and their receptors in the development of allergic airway inflammation. We have shown that Proteinase-Activated Receptor-2 (PAR-2) activation by serine proteinases facilitates the development of allergic sensitization instead of immune tolerance. We have also shown that PAR-2 activation plays an important role in sensitization to cockroach allergens. We are currently working into understanding further the signaling pathways leading from PAR-2 activation on the epithelium to allergic sensitization using murine in vivo models and primary cultures of human airway epithelial cells. We have developed close collaborations with colleagues at the University of Calgary, University of Saskatchewan and the University of California Riverside to further study the role PAR-2 in allergic airway inflammation. Another area of interest is the role of psychological stress in the development of allergic inflammation. We have shown that psychological stress soon after birth or even in adult life affect the development of allergic airway inflammation and are currently working to better understand the mechanism of these interactions.