The Kopp lab utilizes multidisciplinary and innovative approaches to advance our understanding as to how innate immunity contributes to the pathogenesis of chronic lung diseases. We focus on host-pathogen interactions that impact chronic respiratory diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF) and lung disease related to sickle cell. The two main areas of this research include how innate immune cells fail to regulate infection in chronic lung diseases as well as elucidating biomarkers/pathways of early inflammatory airway disease. We use the information gained to help develop novel therapeutics and targets to allow for improved killing of bacteria and regulation of hyper-inflammatory signaling in chronic respiratory diseases. Our passion and vision are to rapidly translate research discoveries into effective treatment and prevention strategies for children and adults afflicted with chronic respiratory diseases such as CF and sickle cell. To achieve these goals, we actively engage in translating our findings from the bench to the clinic and health policy whenever possible, aligned with Dr. Kopp’s goals as a physician-scientist.