Suzy Comhair Laboratory

Research

Dr. Comhair’s research is focused on the translational investigation of airway inflammation and oxidative stress in asthma.  One of the primary objectives is to understand the mechanisms through which oxidative stress and metabolic changes contribute to disease progression and identify disease specific biomarkers with capacity of predicting disease development or control.   Specifically, her laboratory has investigated superoxide dismutase, glutathione, and bromotyrosine as mediators of oxidative stress in asthma, and correlating these markers with asthma control, development and steroid responsiveness disease.  Recently we have extended our efforts to understand the metabolic changes that occur in asthma. We are particularly interested in exploring new biochemical pathways unique to asthma through innovative metabolomics strategies so that we may develop biomarkers to characterize asthma phenotypes and identify new targets for therapeutic approaches.

Her laboratory also function as a biospecimen lab core and Biorepository Core for program projects, clinical trials and NIH U-awards. The purpose of the Core to collect, process, store, and analyze clinical samples such as blood, urine, sputum bone marrow and lung and heart tissue. Furthermore, the Core also provides primary cells to investigators, such as pulmonary arterial endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, and airway epithelial cells i.e. undifferentiated and differentiated.  

Selected Publications

1. Comhair S.A.A Grandon D, Khan A, Zhang R, Hazen SL, Erzurum SC. Coenzyme Q in asthma.Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2015 Jun 1;191
2. Comhair S.A.A, McDunn J, Bennett C, Fettig J, Erzurum SC, Kalhan SC. Metabolomic Endotype of Asthma.J Immunol. 2015 Jul 15;195(2):643-50
3. Ghosh A, Koziol-White CJ, Asosingh K, Cheng G, Ruple L, Groneberg D, Friebe A, Comhair S.A.A, Stasch JP, Panettieri RA Jr, Aronica MA, Erzurum SC, Stuehr DJ. Soluble guanylate cyclase as an alternative target for bronchodilator therapy in asthma.. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Apr 26;11
4. Zein JG, Dweik RA, Comhair S.A.A Bleecker ER, Moore WC, Peters SP, Busse WW, Jarjour NN, Calhoun WJ, Castro M, Chung KF, Fitzpatrick A, Israel E, Teague WG, Wenzel SE, Love TE, Gaston BM, Erzurum SC; Severe Asthma Research Program. Asthma Is More Severe in Older Adults. PLoS One. 2015 Jul 22;10(7)
5. Cowan DC, Taylor DR, Peterson LE, Cowan JO, Palmay R, Williamson A, Hammel J, Erzurum SC, Hazen SL, Comhair SA. Biomarker-based asthma phenotypes of corticosteroid response. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014 Dec 6. pii: S0091-6749(14)01521-8 NIHMS: 647463
6. Wedes SH, Khatri SB, Zhang R, Wu W, Comhair SA, Wenzel S, Teague WG, Israel E, Erzurum SC, Hazen SL. Noninvasive markers of airway inflammation in asthma. Clin Transl Sci. 2009 Apr;2(2):112-7. PMID: 20234847 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
7. Wedes SH, Wu W, Comhair SA, McDowell KM, DiDonato JA, Erzurum SC, Hazen SL. Urinary bromotyrosine measures asthma control and predicts asthma exacerbations in children. J Pediatr. 2011 Aug;159(2):248-55.e1. Epub 2011 Mar 10.
8. Comhair SAA, Xu W, Arroliga M, Khatri SB, Thunnissen FBJM, Almasan A, Calhoun WJ, Janocha AJ , Song W, Hazen SL, Erzurum SC. Superoxide Dismutase Inactivation in pathophysiology of asthmatic  airway remodeling and reactivity. Am J Path 2005; 166:663-674.
9. Comhair SAA and Serpil Erzurum. Comprehensive Invited Review, Redox Control of Asthma: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Opportunities. Antioxidant and Redox Signaling, 2009 July 27.  PMCID: PMC2824520.
10. Masri FA, Xu W, Comhair SAA, Asosingh K, Koo M, Vasanji A, Drazba J, Anand-Apte B, Erzurum SC. Hyperproliferative apoptosis-resistant endothelial cells in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2007 Sep;293(3):L548-54. (*selected for Faculty of 1000 Biology) PMID:  17526595
11. Comhair, SA, Xu W, Mavrakis L, ALdred MA, Asosingh K, Erzurum SC. Human Primary Lung Endothelial Cells in Culture. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2012;46(6):723-30. PMCID: PMC3380284