Programme

Preliminary description:
In addition to its primary function in gas exchange, the lung fulfills a plethora of physiological roles including immunological, hematological, metabolic, endocrine, hemodynamic, and barrier functions that are essential for pulmonary and organismal homeostasis. Accordingly, dysregulation of lung cellular processes and signaling pathways promotes both pulmonary and systemic diseases. The proposed symposium aims to highlight some of these divergent roles: First, it will discuss oxygen sensing in hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction as a fundamental regulatory mechanism of gas exchange homeostasis. Next, we will review how dysregulated intercellular crosstalk within the lung drives pulmonary disease in lung fibrosis. We will then expand dysregulated crosstalk to the level of interorgan communication, addressing impaired metabolism as a driver of cardio-pulmonary dysfunction in heart failure. Finally, we will discuss the emerging role of lung organoids for the interrogation of homeostatic and injurious cell circuits in lung health and disease. Overall, the proposed contributions by expert scientists (notably all female and mid-career stage) will provide state-of-the-art insights into hot topics of lung health and disease, ranging from cellular physiology to translational impact.