Doctoral Training and Teaching Faculty

Jeanine M. D'Armiento, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine
B.A. 1986, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.
M.D. 1992, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson, Piscataway N.J.
Ph.D. 1990, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson, Piscataway N.J. 

The research in the D'Armiento laboratory centers on understanding the role of matrix metalloproteinases in tissue destruction during disease.  Her laboratory has generated several transgenic mice that express specific matrix metalloproteinases at pathophysiological levels in the vessel and lung to recreate the natural proteolytic imbalance that occurs during disease.  Through the generation of these transgenic animals her laboratory has developed mouse models of emphysema and atherosclerosis and gained insight into the role these enzymes play in the pathogenesis of these diseases.  As an extension of the transgenic mouse work her laboratory is exploring the mechanism by which smoke exposure leads to up regulation of matrix metalloproteinases.  Future studies will explore whether inhibition of the matrix metalloproteinases can prevent the development of emphysema in the animal models.  In addition, further exploration of the mechanism by which these proteases are up regulated in disease should provide novel therapeutic targets. 

Lemaitre, V., Soloway, P.D., D'Armiento,, J.  Increased medial Degradation with Pseudo-aneurysm Formation in ApoE Knockout Mice deficient in Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases-1. Circulation107:333-338, 2003. 

Foronjy, R. F., Okada, Y., Cole, R., D'Armiento, J.  Progressive Adult-Onset Emphysema in Transgenic Mice Expressing Human MMP-1 in the Lung. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol  284:L727-37., 2003. 

Mercer, B., Kolesnikova, N., Sonett, J. D'Armiento, J.  Erk-1/2 MAP Kinase is upregulated in Pulmonary Emphysema and Mediates MMP-1 Induction by Cigarette Smoke. J Biol Chem 279:17690-6, 2004.

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