Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease that attacks multiple organs, particularly the lungs and lymph nodes, and disproportionately affects African Americans.
Pulmonary fibrosis is the number-one cause of death among sarcoidosis patients. Approximately 30 percent of patients develop a progressive, debilitating form of sarcoidosis, but the mechanisms responsible for driving worsening or resilience to the disease remain poorly understood. We are currently investigating the relationship between microbial exposures and immune responses in sarcoidosis and how relates to diagnosis and prognosis.