Angela Lee

My current research involves the identification and functional characterization of a class of polyvalent chemokine-binding tick salivary peptides called evasins, each of which exerts its anti-inflammatory properties by neutralizing and disrupting specific chemokine networks. In particular, we focus on evasins that target the CXC subfamily chemokines, many of which have known association with cardiac inflammatory diseases such as myocarditis. Using a short-term peritonitis model, we hope to verify the biological function of selected evasins in vivo and validate their potential as anti-inflammatory therapeutics. My other research project concerns with the proprotein convertase FURIN, the inhibition of which reduces  fibrillar collagen predisposition in an in-vitro fibrosis model ('scar-in-a-jar' assay) via its specific cleavage of various profibrotic peptides.