Associate Professor, Departments of Physiology, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics & Child Health
Canada Research Chair in Airway Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Manitoba
Leader and Scientist, Biology of Breathing Theme, Manitoba Institute of Child Health
Director, Asthma/COPD Research Centre, Section of Respiratory Diseases

1997 Ph. D. Physiology University of Manitoba
1988 M. Sc. Plant Science University of Manitoba
1983 B. Sc.(Hon). Biology University of Winnipeg

Airway smooth muscle biology and physiology
Caveolae and caveolins
Extracellular matrix
Phenotype plasticity of airway smooth muscle
Asthma 
Airway Inflammation
Airway reponsiveness and remodeling 
Development of new asthma tehrapies (pre-cincal assessment in murine models)

Research Associate
Mark M Mutawe, MSc (mmutawe@mich.ca) – Molecular Biology applications specialist

Postdoctoral Fellows
Saeid Ghavami, PhD (ghavami@cc.umanitoba.ca) – airway mesenchymal cell apoptosis; S100 and RAGE in allergic airway inflammation and remodeling; TGFβ1-induced autophagy and fibrotic function

Dedmer Schaafsma, PhD (schaafsm@cc.umanitoba.ca) – mevalonate cascade regulation of airway mesenchyme fibrotic function; statins as a treatment of airway inflammation and remodeling

Graduate Students
Tyler Hynes (MSc student) (umhynest@cc.umanitoba.ca) – caveolins in allergic airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness

Andrea Kroeker (MSc student) (umkroe17@cc.umanitoba.ca) – proteomic response of airway epithelial cells to H1N1 infection; effects of statins on H1N1 infection of human airway epithelia

Sarah Martin (MSc student) (smarti_16@hotmail.com) - caveolae and caveolins in lung function and structure

Pawan Sharma (PhD student) (psharma@mich.ca) - role of the dystrophin glycoprotein complex in airway smooth muscle contractile function; regulation of caveolae function and spatial organization by β-dystroglycan

Soma Tripathi (MSc student) (stripathi@mich.ca) – protein lipidation mechanism in the regulation of immunomodulator function of airway mesenchymal cells

Undergraduate Research Assistants
Inderveer Mahal (inderveer.mahal@gmail.com) – immunohistochemistry and tissue morphometry
Evan Neduzak (eneduzak@shaw.ca) – video microscopy of murine lung slice

AJ Halayko, H Salari, X Ma & NL Stephens. Markers of airway smooth muscle phenotype. Am. J. Physiol (Lung Cell Mol. Physiol.), 270:L1040-L1051, 1996

AJ Halayko, B Camoretti-Mercado, SM Forsythe, JE Vieira, RW Mitchell, ME Wylam, MB Hershenson & J Solway. Divergent differentiation paths in airway smooth muscle culture: induction of functionally contractile myocytes. Am. J. Physiol. (Lung Cell Mol. Physiol.), 276:L197-L206, 1999

AJ Halayko & J Solway. Molecular mechanisms of phenotypic plasticity in smooth muscle cells. J Appl Physiol., 90:358-368, 2001

L Wang, HW Liu, KD McNeill, GL Stelmack, JE Scott & AJ Halayko. Mechanical strain inhibits airway smooth muscle gene transcription via protein kinase C signaling. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., 31:54-61, 2004

AJ Halayko, S Kartha, GL Stelmack, J McConville, J Tam, B Camoretti-Mercado, SM Forsythe, MB Hershenson & J Solway. PI(3)Kinase/mTOR/p70S6K regulates contractile protein accumulation in airway myocyte differentiation. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 31:266-275, 2004

R Gosens, D Schaafsma, SA Nelemans & AJ Halayko. Rho-kinase as a drug target for the treatment of airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma. Mini Rev. Med. Chem. 6:339-348, 2006

AJ Halayko, T Tran, SY Ji, A Yamasaki & R Gosens. Airway smooth muscle phenotype and function: interactions with current asthma therapies. Current Drug Targets, 7:525-540, 2006

R Gosens, GL Stelmack, G Dueck, KD McNeill, A Yamasaki, AS Guonni, H Unruh, WT Gerthoffer, J Zaagsma & AJ Halayko. Role of caveolin-1 in constitutive and PDGF-induced p42/p44 MAP kinase activation and proliferation of airway smooth muscle. Am J Physiol (Lung Cell Mol Physiol), 291:L523-34, 2006

T Tran, K Ens-Blackie, ES Rector, GL Stelmack, KD McNeill, G Tarone, WT Gerthoffer, H Unruh & AJ Halayko. Laminin-binding integrin α7 is required for contractile phenotype expression by human airway myocytes. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol, 37:668-680, 2007

R Gosens, GL Stelmack, G Dueck, MM Mutawe, M Hinton, KD McNeill, A Paulson, S Dakshinamurti, WT Gerthoffer, JA Thliveris, H Unruh, J Zaagsma & AJ Halayko. Caveolae facilitate muscarinic receptor mediated intracellular Ca2+ mobilization and contraction in airway smooth muscle. Am J Physiol (Lung Cell Mol Physiol), 293:L1406-L1418, 2007

P Sharma, T Tran, GL Stelmack, KD McNeill, MM Mutawe, H Unruh, WT Gerthoffer & AJ Halayko. Expression of the dystrophin glycoprotein complex is a marker for human airway smooth muscle phenotype maturation. Am J Physiol (Lung Cell Mol Physiol), 294:L57-L68, 2008

AJ Halayko, T Tran & R Gosens. Phenotype and functional plasticity of airway smooth muscle: Role of caveolae and caveolins. Proc Am Thorac Soc 5:80-88, 2008

S Ghavami, M Hashemi, SR Ande, B Yeganeh, W Xiao, M Eshraghi, CJ Bus, K Kadkhoda, E Wiechec, AJ Halayko & M Los. Apoptosis and cancer: mutations within the Caspase genes. J Med Genetics, 46:497-510 2009

S Watanabe, A Yamasaki, K Hashimoto, Y Shigeoka, H Chikumi, Y Hasegawa, T Sumikawa, M Takata, R Okazaki, M Watanabe, T Yokogawa, WT Gerthoffer, AJ Halayko & E Shimizu. Expression of functional leukotriene B4 receptors on human airway smooth muscle cells. J Allergy Clin Immunol 124:59-65 2009 (* equal contribution)

AJ Halayko & S Ghavami. S100A8/A9: a mediator of severe asthma pathogenesis and morbidity? Can J Physiol Pharmacol, 87:743-755, 2009

S Ghavami, MM Mutawe, K Hauff, GL Stelmack, D Schaafsma, P Sharma, KD McNeill, T Hynes, SK Kung, H Unruh, T Klonisch, G Hatch, M Los & AJ Halayko. Statin-triggered cell death in primary human lung mesenchymal cells involves p53-PUMA and release of Smac and Omi but not cytochrome C. Biochim Biophys Acta Dec 30 [Epub ahead of print] 2009