Experimental systems biology of regeneration and fibrosis

Avoiding or resolving fibrosis of tissues is amongst the most urgent clinical problems since close to half of all deaths are related to organ/tissue fibrosis. Nevertheless, the therapeutic options for fibrotic diseases are extremely limited today. A systems level understanding of the differences between regeneration, involving transient fibrogenesis (the process of scar generation) and its successful resolution, and the permanent scarring of organ parenchyma that is often associated with old age and chronic injuries, would likely enable the design of novel regenerative medicine approaches to fibrotic diseases. Using systems biology tools, such as mass spectrometry driven proteomics and single cell transcriptomics, in combination with mouse models of organ fibrosis (in particular lung), we wish to identify fundamental cellular and molecular principles of tissue/organ regeneration and fibrosis.