My research focuses on understanding the role of telomere length in human health and disease. Telomeres are caps on the ends of each of chromosomes and shorten as we age. My current interest is exploring the mechanisms by which telomere dysfunction causes age-related lung diseases including pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. Our lab uses a number of approaches to explore that pathogenesis of short-telomere mediated disease including genetics, cell biology, and animal models. We hope these studies will lead to a deeper understanding of how telomere dysfunction contributes to lung disease and potentially inform rational therapies.
- BA, Chemistry, University of Utah, 2005
- PhD, Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, 2007
Education & Training
Jiang M, Roth MG, Chun-On P, Sullivan DI, Alder JK. Phenotypic Diversity Caused by Differential Expression of SFTPC-Cre-Transgenic Alleles. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2020; Jun;62(6): 692-698.
Iasella CJ, Winters SA, Kois A, Cho J, Hannan SJ, Koshy R, Moore CA, Ensor CR, Lendermon EA, Morrell MR, Pilewski JM, Sanchez PG, Kass DJ, Alder JK, Nouraie SM, McDyer JF. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis lung transplant recipients are at increased risk for EBV-associated posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder and worse survival. Am J Transplant. 2020; May;20(5): 1439-1446.
Zhang Y, Jiang M, Nouraie M, Roth MG, Tabib T, Winters S, Chen X, Sembrat J, Chu Y, Cardenes N, Tuder RM, Herzog EL, Ryu C, Rojas M, Lafyatis R, Gibson KF, McDyer JF, Kass DJ, Alder JK. GDF15 is an epithelial-derived biomarker of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2019; Oct 1;317(4): L510-L521.
Hamsanathan S, Alder JK, Sellares J, Rojas M, Gurkar AU, Mora AL. Cellular Senescence: The Trojan Horse in Chronic Lung Diseases. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2019; Jul;61(1): 21-30.
Wagner CL, Hanumanthu VS, Talbot CC Jr, Abraham RS, Hamm D, Gable DL, Kanakry CG, Applegate CD, Siliciano J, Jackson JB, Desiderio S, Alder JK, Luznik L, Armanios M. Short telomere syndromes cause a primary T cell immunodeficiency. J Clin Invest. 2018; Dec 3;128(12): 5222-5234.
Alder JK, Hanumanthu VS, Strong MA, DeZern AE, Stanley SE, Takemoto CM, Danilova L, Applegate CD, Bolton SG, Mohr DW, Brodsky RA, Casella JF, Greider CW, Jackson JB, Armanios M. Diagnostic utility of telomere length testing in a hospital-based setting. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2018; Mar 6;115(10): E2358-E2365.
Alder, JK, Barkauskas, CE, Limjunyawong, N, Stanley, SE, Kembou, F, Tuder, RM, Hogan, BL, Mitzner, W, Armanios, M. Telomere dysfunction causes alveolar stem cell failure. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015; Apr 21;112(16): 5099-104.
Alder, JK, Stanley, SE, Wagner, CL, Hamilton, M, Hanumanthu, VS, Armanios, M. Exome sequencing identifies mutant TINF2 in a family with pulmonary fibrosis. CHEST. 2015; May;147(5): 1361-1368.
Alder, JK, Parry, EM, Yegnasubramanian, S, Wagner, CL, Lieblich, LM, Auerbach, R, Auerbach, AD, Wheelan, SJ, Armanios, M. Telomere phenotypes in females with heterozygous mutations in the dyskeratosis congenita 1 (DKC1) gene. Hum Mutat. 2013; Nov;34(11): 1481-5.
Alder, JK, Guo, N, Kembou, F, Parry, EM, Anderson, CJ, Gorgy, AI, Walsh, MF, Sussan, T, Biswal, S, Mitzner, W, Tuder, RM, Armanios, M. Telomere length is a determinant of emphysema susceptibility. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2011; Oct 15:184(8): 904-12.
- Parker B. Francis Fellow, 2010
