Dean Sheppard, MD

Professor
Department of Medicine
Lung Biology Center
+1 415 514-4269
Research Overview: 

Dean Sheppard is a Professor of Medicine. His current research utilizes scRNA sequencing, novel in vivo genetic tools and ex vivo lung organoids to characterize the origin, fate and function of diverse fibroblast subsets and to characterize the roles each population plays in normal homeostasis and in models of pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, acute lung injury and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Together with Wendell Lim, his lab is also using synthetic biology to generate novel cell-based therapeutics for treatment of non-malignant lung diseases.

Primary Thematic Area: 
Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Research Summary: 
Functional roles of diverse fibroblast subsets in pulmonary fibrosis, acute lung injury and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Cell-based therapeutics for non-malignant lung diseases.
Mentorship Development: 

12/19/19 ACRA: Setting training expectations for trainees on the academic career track

Websites

Featured Publications: 

Unexpected Role for Adaptive aßTh17 Cells in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)

Li JT, Melton AC, Su G, Hamm DE, LaFemina M, Howard J, Fang X, Bhat S, Huynh KM, O'Kane CM, Ingram RJ, Muir RR, McAuley DF, Matthay MA, Sheppard D

The avß1 integrin plays a critical in vivo role in tissue fibrosis.

Science translational medicine

Reed NI, Jo H, Chen C, Tsujino K, Arnold TD, DeGrado WF, Sheppard D

TGF-ß activation and function in immunity.

Annual review of immunology

Travis MA, Sheppard D

Targeting of av integrin identifies a core molecular pathway that regulates fibrosis in several organs.

Nature medicine

Henderson NC, Arnold TD, Katamura Y, Giacomini MM, Rodriguez JD, McCarty JH, Pellicoro A, Raschperger E, Betsholtz C, Ruminski PG, Griggs DW, Prinsen MJ, Maher JJ, Iredale JP, Lacy-Hulbert A, Adams RH, Sheppard D

Integrin a9ß1 in airway smooth muscle suppresses exaggerated airway narrowing.

The Journal of clinical investigation

Chen C, Kudo M, Rutaganira F, Takano H, Lee C, Atakilit A, Robinett KS, Uede T, Wolters PJ, Shokat KM, Huang X, Sheppard D

IL-17A produced by aß T cells drives airway hyper-responsiveness in mice and enhances mouse and human airway smooth muscle contraction.

Nature medicine

Kudo M, Melton AC, Chen C, Engler MB, Huang KE, Ren X, Wang Y, Bernstein X, Li JT, Atabai K, Huang X, Sheppard D

Expression of avß8 integrin on dendritic cells regulates Th17 cell development and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice.

The Journal of clinical investigation

Melton AC, Bailey-Bucktrout SL, Travis MA, Fife BT, Bluestone JA, Sheppard D

Loss of integrin alpha(v)beta8 on dendritic cells causes autoimmunity and colitis in mice.

Nature

Travis MA, Reizis B, Melton AC, Masteller E, Tang Q, Proctor JM, Wang Y, Bernstein X, Huang X, Reichardt LF, Bluestone JA, Sheppard D

Loss of integrin alpha(v)beta6-mediated TGF-beta activation causes Mmp12-dependent emphysema.

Nature

Morris DG, Huang X, Kaminski N, Wang Y, Shapiro SD, Dolganov G, Glick A, Sheppard D

The integrin alpha v beta 6 binds and activates latent TGF beta 1: a mechanism for regulating pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis.

Cell

Munger JS, Huang X, Kawakatsu H, Griffiths MJ, Dalton SL, Wu J, Pittet JF, Kaminski N, Garat C, Matthay MA, Rifkin DB, Sheppard D