Dr. Jerry Yu’s research interests center around neural control of the cardiopulmonary system with emphasis on peripheral reflex sensory mechanisms.  Currently, his research goal is to identify the roles played by cardiopulmonary sensory receptors during normal and disease conditions, focusing on acute lung injury and other inflammatory processes including asthma.  His laboratory is also exploring mechanisms of neuroimmune interaction. 

Recently, his laboratory identified a novel type of nociceptors, high
threshold A afferents from the lungs (5).  Activation of these sensory afferents, together with C fibers, produces hyperpnea, tachypnea, and possibly dyspnea (7).  Reflexes caused by activation of these nociceptors can be detrimental due to promoting inspiratory muscle fatigue, thus facilitating ventilatory failure (6;9).  Unsing electrophysiological techniques, the lat provides insight into the encoding mechanisms of airway mechaneosensor (5;11).  The lab also houses the expertise in immuno-histochemical techniques to investigate morphology of airway sensory receptors (3;4).  By combining anatomical electrophysiological and morphological techniquest, the laboratory has provided detailed morphology of sensory receptors that have been electrophysiologically characterized (10; 12). It provides detailed information regarding structure-functional relationship of airway mechanosensors (5). Currently, the lab is also exploring the potential of using the airway sensory as biosensors to monitor the lung inflammatory processes (1; 2; 8), such as acute lung injury and lung ischemia reperfusion injury. 

Pictured above are; first row to the left Dr. Huafeng LI, Ms. Yu She; second row to the left Dr. Lei Du, Dr. Jerry Yu, and Dr. Peyman Otmishi 

 Dr. Jerry Yu and Dr. Peyman Otmishi

 Selected Publications by Dr. Yu