Who we are :

The Experimental Pulmonology and Inflammation Research (EXPIRE) group is a scientific research group housed in the Medical Biology and Pathology department in the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). The main research focus of the group are lung diseases: Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). Diseased and healthy lungs are studied in our laboratory at genetic, cellular, immunological, and 3D structural levels, from childhood to old age.


Our Research ->

Latest News:

Groeifonds grant of €4.4 million for research on personalized treatment of asthma & COPD


Our Latest Publications:

  • van der Koog, L, Showell, HRD, Nugraha, DF, Lehmann, M, Conlon, TM, Yildirim, AÖ et al.. Regenerative therapeutics for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Pharmacol Rev. 2026;78 (3):100124. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmr.2026.100124. PubMed PMID:41856010 .
  • Zhang, M, Brouwer, LA, Burgess, JK, Harmsen, MC. Stiffness-induced destabilization of adherens junctions inhibits vascular network formation by pulmonary endothelial cells in lung-derived extracellular matrix hydrogels. Biomaterials. 2026;331 :124136. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2026.124136. PubMed PMID:41839475 .

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