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:

  • Zheng, X, Villegas, PP, Nawijn, MC, Heijink, IH. LncRNA HOTAIR contributes to cigarette smoke-induced pro-inflammatory responses in human airway epithelial cells. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2026; :. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00126.2025. PubMed PMID:41779457 .
  • Wang, J, Faiz, A, Ge, Q, van de Velde, R, Borghuis, T, Oliver, BG et al.. Runx2 Regulated Airway Homeostasis Is Disrupted in Asthma. FASEB J. 2026;40 (4):e71544. doi: 10.1096/fj.202502088R. PubMed PMID:41701118 PubMed Central PMC12911552.

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