I am interested in generating lung tissue in the lab to study disease, develop new therapies and one day to be able to manufacture lung tissue in the lab for transplantation.

About me

I was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio in the United States and received my undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, USA. I conducted my PhD studies in Dr. Sarit Bhaduri’s lab at the University of Toledo where I focused on using microwave processing to generate calcium phosphate nanoparticles for gene therapy and for bone tissue engineering. I went on to do my first postdoctoral training in Dr. Daniel Weiss’ lab at the University of Vermont in the Vermont Lung Center where I was an NIH T32 Fellow and developed protocols to decellularize whole lungs from different species and diseases, including human. I then moved to Munich, Germany to do a second postdoctoral training period in Dr. Melanie Königshoff’s lab at the Comprehensive Pneumology Center (a joint venture between the Ludwig Maximilians University, Helmholtz Center Munich and the Asklepios Clinic). There I focused on the derangement of distal lung epithelial progenitor cells in normal and diseased repair and regeneration.

I started my group ‘Lung Bioenigneering and Regeneration’ in 2017 at Lund University as part of the newly formed Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine, with a focus on regenerative medicine. I am currently an Associate Professor and Docent in the Faculty of Medicine at Lund University and head of the Lung Bioengineering and Regeneration Group. I am a Principal Investigator in the Lund Wallenberg Molecular Medicine Center as well as the Lund Stem Cell Center. My lab focuses on generation of lung tissue ex vivo for eventual transplantation and building new humanized models of lung tissue to study chronic diseases and evaluate potential therapies. My work takes a multidisciplinary approach using advances in materials science, manufacturing, and lung stem cell biology to construct these new models. I was selected in 2017 as one of the American Thoracic Society’s ‘Rising Stars of Research’ and was awarded the Carol Basbaum Award by the American Thoracic Society in 2018 – an award given to a young investigator who has demonstrated outstanding scientific achievement, mentorship, and leadership potential. My work is currently funded by the Wallenberg Molecular Medicine Fellowship and a European Research Council Starting Grant in 2018 on 3D bioprinting of lung tissue and a Swedish Research Council Starting Grant in 2018 to pursue mechanisms of repair in chronic lung diseases.

Learn more about my work in popular media

WCMM Highlight Video: “Developing therapies for patients with lung diseases”

Vetenskapens värld episode on Lung Transplantation: “Organ på väg”

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I am a Medical Doctor graduated from Tbilisi State Medical University,Georgia. My passion for learning basic molecular mechanisms behind disease development and pathogenesis led me to join the Lung Bioengineering and Regeneration laboratory at Lund University as a research engineer.Currently I am involved in multidisciplinary projects such as the decellularization of different tissues, the establishment of different ARDS models in large animals and a drug screening project.

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PhD in Motor Control

With a PhD in motor control (the neuroscience of movement), I recently transitioned into my role as Program Manager for the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Lung Regenerative Medicine (Darcy Wagner). My primary responsibility is to ensure that research projects align with our overarching goals, but I take particular pride in integrating equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) principles into every aspect of our work. By doing so, we strive to create a future where cutting-edge medical care is accessible to all.

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Generating Hydrogels for Regenerative Medicine Applications

A Master of Science (MSc) Candidate in Experimental Medicine, specializing in Lung Regenerative Medicine. My research focuses on developing innovative therapies for lung tissue repair and regeneration, using approaches like stem cell therapy, tissue and biomaterial engineering, and 3D cell culture🧫.

With a background in molecular biology and translational research, I am dedicated to advancing regenerative strategies for lung diseases. Deeply passionate about applying scientific discoveries to real-world healthcare challenges, I’m eager to connect with professionals in the fields of regenerative medicine and respiratory health🔬🫁.

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Science is an ongoing process of learning and exploration

My name is Tera Kispa, and I am a Master’s student in Molecular Biology at Lund University. As part of the Lung Bioengineering and Regeneration group, my thesis focuses on characterizing Air-Liquid Interface (ALI) culture from human-derived airway cells on electrospun polycaprolactone to improve in vitro airway models. Before my master’s program, I earned a Biology degree and worked for nearly nine years as a supporting researcher at Indonesia’s largest pharmaceutical state-owned enterprise. There, I contributed to a project with the National Referral Hospital to develop mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) for clinical use. Outside the lab, I enjoy swimming and exploring several Skåne national parks. I am grateful to be part of this research group and look forward to contributing to lung bioengineering and regenerative medicine.

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In our project, we are optimizing biomaterial compositions for the bioengineering of 3D tissue models, organoids, and cancer models. We are developing microcarriers to enhance surface attachment in bioreactors, facilitating MSC culture for ATMPs and improving yields in cell and gene therapy processes.

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Microscopy unveils the hidden architecture of the microscopic world, turning the invisible into a universe of breathtaking detail.

I’m Leonor, a PhD candidate at McGill University, working at the Meakins-Christie Laboratories within the RI-MUHC. My research builds on my bachelor’s thesis, focusing on light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) and the protocols required for processing samples with this advanced imaging technology. Microscopy and histology have long been passions of mine, ones that have only deepened as I’ve immersed myself further in the scientific world.

Beyond imaging, I have a strong interest in Regenerative Medicine, which led me to pursue my master’s degree in the field. During my PhD, I will also work on translating lung regeneration research into real-world applications, bridging the gap between discovery and clinical impact.

I am always eager to learn new techniques and expand my skill set. Equally important to me is sharing knowledge and fostering collaboration. I enjoy making others part of my work, whether by exchanging ideas, discussing methodologies, or guiding them through the techniques I use.

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Biomedical scientist-to-be with a clinical backbone

Hi, my name is Indra. I am a Master in Biomedicine student at Lund University and originally from Indonesia. Within the Lung Bioengineering and Regeneration Lab, I am working on my master degree project on developing a high-throughput lung ALI culture-based platform from primary human bronchial basal cells for COVID-19 prophylaxis drug screening. With my basic as medical doctor, I am naturally enticed with basic researches that is leaning on the translational side and this platform will hopefully be useful not only for the purpose of COVID-19 drug screening, but also for general use in high-throughput lung-related researches. In my free time I love to do music and I am singing together with Lunds Studentsångare as a Tenor.

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Bioengineering lung tissue using extracellular matrix based 3D bioprinting

2019 to 2023

Project Participants:

Darcy Wagner

Collaborators:

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Many people with end-stage lung disease have no other option than to undergo lung transplantation. There are, however, not enough donor lungs to meet clinical demand, heightening the need for new options that can increase available tissue for lung transplantation. The EU-funded 3DBIOLUNG project will focus on generating lung tissue in the lab using bioengineering approaches and explore whether new advances in 3D printing and 3D bioprinting can be a possible option for lung tissue for transplantation. To do this, it will use custom 3D bioprinters to generate constructs imitating lung tissue, 3D bioprint hybrid murine and human lung tissue models, and test gas exchange, angiogenesis and in vivo immune responses.

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Human precision cut lung slices as an ex vivo model for studying SARS-CoV2 infection and identifying potential therapies

2020 to 2021

Project Participants:

John Stegmayr

Darcy Wagner

Collaborators:

Sandra Lindstedt (Region Skåne, Lund University)

Lena Uller (Lund University)

Popular Summary

In this project, we aim to develop and validate cryopreservation methods for human PCLS for use in ultimately studying SARS-CoV2 infection and evaluation of potential therapies. The development of cryopreservation techniques would allow many more experiments to be possible from a single human lung, but would also allow for the establishment of a biobank of cryopreserved PCLS (that could be used on-demand and shipped worldwide). Cryopreserved PCLS would allow testing of SARS-CoV2 in labs with access to the virus and appropriate BSL3 facilities. If fully realized, the infection model could then be run using a library of compounds with FDA/EMA approval for repurposing. As an alternative to the infection model, there has recently been reports of characterizing the late stages of infection, including characterization of the cytokine profile of patients who succumb versus those who survive. Our work previously used this approach of simultaneous exposure to multiple cytokines to develop an ex vivo model of fibrosis (Alsafadi et al. AJP-Lung 2017). This approach could be explored in parallel to identify drugs to combat lethal SARS.

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High-throughput screening with primary human airway cells for repurposing drugs to prevent COVID-19

2020/09/01 to 2022/02/28

Project Participants:

Sinem Tas

Emil Rehnberg

Darcy Wagner

Popular Summary

As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, it has become increasingly clear that SARS-CoV-2 disproportionately effects different patient populations and that age and underlying co-morbidities are major predictors of mortality. In parallel, it is now well acknowledged that the general population is susceptible to infection with SARS-CoV-2, but most patients remain asymptomatic and do not develop severe disease. Several potential vaccines have reached late phases of clinical trials, but even if a successful vaccine is identified soon, concerns will remain with administering a vaccine to the world population and technologies to ramp up production are still needed. During this time, it is critical to identify approaches to protect vulnerable patient populations so that society can begin to return to near normal. One potential option is to repurpose existing antiviral compounds which can prevent infection in vulnerable patients. Here, we will perform a medium throughput drug screen in primary human airway cells, a major site of SARS-CoV-2 infection, to identify approved antiviral compounds which could be repurposed for prophylactic SARS-CoV-2 therapy in vulnerable populations. Together with Cellevate AB, we have developed a new method for medium-high throughput drug screening of human airway cells which allows several hundred compounds to be evaluated on cells from individual patients. Furthermore, this assay is amenable to validation of compounds in human airway cells derived from patients with underlying co-morbidities associated with COVID-19. This approach has the potential to identify and repurpose antiviral compounds with previously established safety profiles to protect vulnerable patients until a vaccine is developed.

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