Dr. Boitano is a Professor of Physiology at the University of Arizona with extensive experience in airway physiology. He received his BA in Plant Pathology from UC Berkeley and his PhD in Genetics and Cell Biology from Washington State University. Dr. Boitano’s primary research interest is in cell respiration. This encompasses the analysis and observation of cell physiology, cell-cell communications and cell-pathogen interactions. His lab has had longstanding research projects examining the upper airway epithelium, focusing on asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other pathogen-mediated respiratory disorders. He has pioneered cellular models for studying defects in alveolar cell physiology that underlie specific airway conditions following disease, insult and injury in the lung. Dr. Boitano has characterized a number of high affinity PAR2 agonists and antagonists that were instrumental in elucidating the role of the receptor in respiratory disease. He provides world-class expertise in airway physiology and disease.
