What we do ?

The Thornton lab aims to better understand the role of the lower respiratory microbiome in suppurative lung diseases, including cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis. Our goal is to enhance our comprehension of the cellular and molecular pathways that influence the microbiome's role in both health and disease. This knowledge will pave the way for innovative strategies to utilize the microbiome in both treatment and prevention methods. 

Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB), characterized by cycles of inflammation and chronic infection, was once considered the ‘most neglected disease’ in all of respiratory medicine.  

It is a lung disease with damaged airways that are scarred, causing abnormal build-up of mucus that may lead to repeated infections causing more lung damage.  

The lung contains many non-harmful bacteria known as the microbiome, which is unique to each person. Studies have shown these bacteria may affect both health and disease. Traditional dogma suggests these adverse events are due to overgrowth of canonical bacterial pathogens; however recent studies have shown this to not fully represent all events.  

Goals 

Research in the Thornton Lab focuses on using state-of-the-art technologies to define bacterial community composition and activity, and modeling to identify differences that are predictive of any infection and disease course. The goal of our research is to use this information to delineate appropriate clinical therapy.