Advancements in Lung Sensing Research Lead to New Priorities for Experts Across Disciplines
Summary
Nicholas Jendzjowsky, Ph.D., an investigator at The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation, helped lead an NHLBI workshop exploring the lung’s role as a sensory organ. As lead author of the resulting report, Beyond Breathing: Lung as a Sensory Organ, Jendzjowsky and collaborators synthesized evidence showing that the lungs detect environmental, inflammatory, infectious, and physiological signals and communicate them through neural pathways that affect respiratory and immune function. The workshop established new research priorities focused on neuroimmune signaling and pulmonary sensory mechanisms, with implications for asthma, chronic inflammatory lung diseases, respiratory infections, and other conditions. Dr. Nicholas Jendzjowsky is a CTSI KL2 Program alumnus, and has received CTSI service support.
Article
Nicholas Jendzjowsky, Ph.D., an investigator at The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation, along with collaborators across the country, spearheaded the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Workshop on Lung Sensing, a multidisciplinary effort that brought together field experts to examine the lung’s role as a sensory organ and its implications for human disease.
As the lead author of the resulting workshop report, Beyond Breathing: Lung as a Sensory Organ, Dr. Jendzjowsky helped define and synthesize emerging scientific evidence demonstrating that the lungs actively detect environmental, inflammatory, infectious, and physiological signals and communicate these inputs through neural pathways that influence respiratory and immune function.
The workshop highlighted the growing importance of pulmonary sensory biology in understanding conditions such as asthma, chronic inflammatory lung diseases, and respiratory infections. Together, attendees successfully advanced a new conceptual framework for lung research, emphasizing the critical role of neuroimmune signaling and sensory mechanisms in both health and disease. These contributions have helped shape research priorities in this emerging field and foster collaboration across pulmonary, neuroscience, and immunology disciplines.
Read the original story in The Lundquist Institute Newsroom.
Dr. Nicholas Jendzjowsky is a CTSI KL2 Program alumnus, and has received CTSI service support.
https://ctsi.ucla.edu/articles/news/advancements-in-lung-sensing-research-lead-to-new
