Duke University · BiologyLung Regeneration and Aging Lab
Aleksandra Tata · Durham, North Carolina
Research Focus
Dr. Aleksandra Tata's lab at Duke University studies how the cells in the lungs repair themselves and how aging affects this process. By focusing on a protein called Tau, which is important for cell structure and function, the lab aims to understand the mechanisms behind lung diseases like pulmonary fibrosis and COPD. This research could lead to new treatments that help restore lung health in aging populations.
alveolar repairTau proteincell differentiationmitochondrial dynamicslung diseasesCOPDagingcell organizationmicrotubule dynamics
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate the role of Tau in the differentiation of alveolar stem cells during lung repair.
AIM 02Examine how dysfunctional Tau affects microtubule and mitochondrial dynamics in alveolar epithelium.
AIM 03Analyze the impact of age-related changes in Tau on lung cellular organization after injury.
Skills the Lab Values
confocal microscopyelectron microscopyRNA sequencingmetabolic assayscell culturemouse modelslive imagingWestern blottingco-culture techniquespulmonary function tests
Output against the department
Publications53bottom 13% of dept.901st of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations3.3kbottom 25% of dept.772nd of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.