Our paper entitled "Pleural macrophages translocate to the lung during infection to promote improved influenza outcomes" was published in PNAS on Friday. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2300474120
It details our discovery of a special macrophage population that originates in the pleural cavity and enters the lung during influenza virus infection to promote disease resolution. This is the first description of pleural macrophages participating in recovery from viral disease. Our findings position the pleural cavity as an important contributor to lung homeostasis and the host response to lung infections. With additional research, pleural macrophages may serve as a therapeutic target for treating lung infections. We are especially proud of this paper because it was driven by Dr. James Stumpff, the lab’s 1st PhD student, who successfully defended his dissertation 2 weeks ago.
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