Chen Lab

The Chen Laboratory is unraveling basic mechanisms of lung injury and repair. Our focus is on how lung epithelial cells interact with other cellular compartments and with the extracellular matrix to regulate inflammatory cell recruitment and lung fibrosis in various cell-based and animal models.

The Chen Laboratory is affiliated with the Department of Medicine and Women's Guild Lung Institute.

Peter Chen, MD
Personal Statement

I have had a long-standing interest in the lung epithelial response to injury and how aberrant responses acutely lead to lung injury and chronically promote pathological outcomes such as lung fibrosis. The initial work from my laboratory focused on epithelial interactions with the matrix identifying specific mechanisms regulating re-epithelialization. More recently, my research group has investigated mechanisms by which the lung mucosal immunity regulates acute lung injury after infectious insults."


Peter Chen, MD

  • COVID-19 mechanisms and therapeutics
  • Dysbiosis and post-influenza MRSA infection
  • Syndecan-1 and influenza infection
  • Syndecan-1 and lung fibrosis
  • Dynactin-4 polymorphisms and pseudomonas colonization in cystic fibrosis

Meet Our Team


Learn more about the scientists, faculty members, investigators and other healthcare professionals of the Chen Laboratory, whose dedicated efforts lead to groundbreaking discoveries.

Parimon T, Yao C, Habiel DM, Ge L, Bora SA, Brauer R, Evans CM, Xie T, Alonso-Valenteen F, Medina-Kauwe LK, Jiang D, Noble PW, Hogaboam CM, Deng N, Burgy O, Antes TJ, Königshoff M, Stripp BR, Gharib SA, Chen P.

JCI Insight. 2019 Aug 8;5(17):e129359.  

Yao C, Bora SA, Parimon T, Zaman T, Friedman OA, Palatinus JA, Surapaneni NS, Matusov YP, Cerro Chiang G, Kassar AG, Patel N, Green CER, Aziz AW, Suri H, Suda J, Lopez AA, Martins GA, Stripp BR, Gharib SA, Goodridge HS, Chen P.
Cell Rep. 2021 Jan 5;34(1):108590.
Chen P, Nirula A, Heller B, Gottlieb RL, Boscia J, Morris J, Huhn G, Cardona J, Mocherla B, Stosor V, Shawa I, Adams AC, Van Naarden J, Custer KL, Shen L, Durante M, Oakley G, Schade AE, Sabo J, Patel DR, Klekotka P, Skovronsky DM; BLAZE-1 Investigators.
N Engl J Med. 2021 Jan 21;384(3):229-237.

Contact the Chen Lab

127 S. San Vicente Blvd.
Pavilion, A-9404
Los Angeles, CA 90048