Kulkarni Lab

Lab group photo at a gathering. Gathered at Dr. Kulkarni's backyard for a happy hour

Our vision is to revolutionize respiratory health by harnessing what is made in our lungs.

We are dedicated to pioneering innovative solutions that significantly reduce the severity of lung injury, including that caused by pneumonia and complications from transplantation. Through our commitment to cutting-edge research, collaboration, training and mentoring, we strive to improve the quality of life for patients worldwide, ensuring that every breath counts.

Research

Enhancing Mucosal Immunity

Enhancing Mucosal Immunity

Improving Transplant Outcomes

Improving Transplant Outcomes

Reducing Pneumonia Burden

Reducing Pneumonia Burden

OverviewOverview

News

Hrish Kulkarni elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation

Hrish Kulkarni elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation

Mar 12, 2025

Hrish Kulkarni was elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI). Read about the ASCI, a list of the members elected in 2025, and the announcement.

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The Kulkarni Lab moves to UCLA!

The Kulkarni Lab moves to UCLA!

Oct 1, 2024

The Kulkarni Lab moved to the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) on October 1, 2024 with a focus on strengthening the program in lung injury and women’s lung health. We look forward to continuing our collaborations and developing new ones!

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Kulkarni Lab represented at the 2024 Joint AAP/ASCI/APSA meeting

Kulkarni Lab represented at the 2024 Joint AAP/ASCI/APSA meeting

Apr 2, 2024

Lorena Garnica and Angel Lu both presented their work at the 2024 Joint AAP/ASCI/APSA meeting at Chicago in April 2024. Both are applying for medical school in the coming year, and we wish them all the best!

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Trainees present at the 2024 GRC BARI

Trainees present at the 2024 GRC BARI

Feb 12, 2024

Marick Starick, Alex Earhart and Rafael Aponte were invited to present their work at the 2024 Gordon Research Conference on the Biology of Acute Respiratory Infections in Galveston, TX.

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Publications

Terada Y, Takahashi T, Pasque MK, Kulkarni HS, Vazquez-Guillamet R, Byers DE, Witt CA, Nava RG, Kozower BD, Meyers BF, Patterson GA, Kreisel D, Puri V, Hachem RR. Impact of Era on Acute Cellular Rejection After Lung Transplantation.Transpl Int. 2025;38:14534. doi: 10.3389/ti.2025.14534. eCollection 2025. PubMed PMID: 40862278; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12375509.

Costa Monteiro AC, Pickering H, Sarma A, Taylor CS, Jenkins MM, Hsu FM, Nadel B, Levy O, Baden LR, Melamed E, Ehrlich LIR, McComsey GA, Sekaly RP, Cairns CB, Haddad EK, Shaw AC, Hafler DA, Montgomery RR, Corry DB, Kheradmand F, Atkinson MA, Brakenridge SC, Higuita NIA, Metcalf JP, Hough CL, Messer WB, Pulendran B, Nadeau KC, Davis MM, Geng LN, Fernandez-Sesma A, Simon V, Krammer F, Kraft M, Bime C, Calfee CS, Erle DJ, Bosinger S, Eckalbar W, Maecker H, Rahman A, Guan L, Peters B, Kleinstein SH, Augustine AD, Diray-Arce J, Becker PM, Rouphael N, IMPACC Network, CAFPINT Site investigators of the PALISI Network, Agus M, Kulkarni H, Schaenmann JM, Salehi-Rad R, Matthay MA, Reed EF, Sapru A. Circulating endothelial signatures correlate with worse outcomes in COVID-19, respiratory failure and ARDS. Crit Care. 2025 Oct 14;29(1):432. doi: 10.1186/s13054-025-05596-0. PubMed PMID: 41088445; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12522733.

Key Publications

Inman K, Chernus J, Lee M, Alder JK, Shah FA, Mayr FB, Dempsey T, Nouraie SM, Dela Cruz C, Ferreira VP, Kulkarni HS, Meyer NJ, Strollo PJ, Feingold E, Bain W. Genetic Variation in the Alternative Complement Pathway Contributes to Individual Susceptibility to Bacteremia and Sepsis. Crit Care Explor. 2025 Nov 1;7(11):e1339. doi: 10.1097/CCE.0000000000001339. eCollection 2025 Nov 1. PubMed PMID: 41165296; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12574529.

Key Publications

Sanchez JM, Kulkarni HS. Think Locally, Act Globally: Resolving the Peripheral Immune Milieu in Bacterial Pneumonia. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2025 Dec;211(12):2242-2244. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202508-1838ED. PubMed PMID: 41052465; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12700229.

Reviews

Kulkarni HS, Tague LK, Calabrese DR, Liao F, Liu Z, Garnica L, Shankar NR, Wu X, Kulkarni DH, Thapa A, Zhou D, Tao Y, Davis VE, Bernardt CT, Byers DE, Chen C, Huang HJ, Witt CA, Hachem RR, Kreisel D, Atkinson JP, Greenland JR, Gelman AE. Impaired complement regulation drives chronic lung allograft dysfunction after lung transplantation. J Clin Invest. 2026 Jan 2;136(1). doi: 10.1172/JCI188891. eCollection 2026 Jan 2. PubMed PMID: 41217841; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12721912.

Key Publications
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