Characterising pulmonary artery changes in mouse models of lung disease

Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure of the lung circulation which can occur as a consequence of other lung diseases including bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a disease of premature infants, and acute respiratory distress syndrome, a serious lung condition. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia and acute respiratory distress syndrome have a high mortality rate which is further increased when patients also develop associated pulmonary hypertension. As there is currently a lack of effective treatments, animal models are needed to explore new therapies. My PhD project focused on developing animal models to further our understanding of mechanisms that contribute to pulmonary hypertension in these diseases.