The Joo-Hyeon Lee Lab

The Lee laboratory studies the mechanisms governing homeostatic turnover and reparative programs in stem cells, with a focus on elucidating how tissue perturbations lead to lung disease.

Projects: 

• Elucidate the behaviors of stem cells and their niches during lung development, regeneration and disease. 
• Define the cellular and molecular characteristics of damage-induced plasticity and its functional role in lung regeneration and disease.
• Define the mechanisms that mediate mutant cell competition in the context of ageing, inflammation, and injury.
• Understand human lung regeneration and disease by investigating tissue mechanics and developing ex vivo human lung models.

We investigate how stem cells perceive environmental changes and determine their cell fate, and how niches form and remodel the local environment during lung development, regeneration and disease. To address these fundamental questions, we employ a multidisciplinary approach integrating genetic mouse models with lineage-tracing techniques, primary mouse and human lung organoids with genetic tools, quantitative biophysical modeling of clonal dynamics with high-resolution imaging techniques, and single-cell biology with computational analysis. Our goal is to elucidate the normal process of lung dynamics and lay the foundation for understanding lung diseases and developing new therapeutic methods.