University of Southern California · Microbiology & ImmunologyLung Immunology and Disease Research Lab
Zhaoxia Qu · Los Angeles, California
Research Focus
Dr. Zhaoxia Qu's lab focuses on understanding how alveolar macrophages, the immune cells in the lungs, interact with pathogens and maintain lung health. They explore the role of a protein called PDLIM2 in regulating these immune responses, especially in diseases like lung cancer and pneumonia. The lab's research aims to uncover new ways to target lung diseases and improve treatment strategies.
alveolar macrophageslung cancerpneumoniaPD-L1PDLIM2immune checkpointinflammationlung diseasesphagocytosisimmune response
Research Aims
4AIM 01Investigate the role of PDLIM2 in alveolar macrophages during lung cancer progression.
AIM 02Determine how PDLIM2 influences immune responses to bacterial infections in the lungs.
AIM 03Explore the mechanisms by which alveolar macrophages maintain immune tolerance in the lung.
AIM 04Identify potential therapeutic targets based on the PDLIM2 signaling pathway for lung disease treatment.
Skills the Lab Values
cell cultureflow cytometryimmunofluorescenceWestern blotconfocal microscopymolecular cloninganimal modelsRNA extractiondata analysis using bioinformatics
Output against the department
Publications112bottom 41% of dept.286th of 486
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations2.8kbottom 18% of dept.400th of 486
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.