The Hawkins Lab is interested in how the human lung develops, is maintained and responds to injury to better understand human lung disease. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer a unique opportunity to model human lung disease and bridge the gap between research in animal models and humans.  Using this iPSC platform we are focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms that control cell fate decisions during development and in disease.  We hope to apply this knowledge to advance our understanding of and develop precision medicine approaches for lung disease. The lab has a particular focus on the airway epithelium.

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COVID-19 response: for details of cell-based platforms at the CReM relevant to COVD-19 basic research please follow the link below: 

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Latest preprint: 

Team

Finn Hawkins, PI

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Finn is a PI in the Center or Regenerative Medicine (CReM) at Boston University and Boston University Medical Center. He is also a Pulmonary and Critical Care attending in the Pulmonary Dept. of Boston University with expertise in Interstitial Lung Disease. Originally from Ireland, Finn moved to the US in 2007 to complete internal medicine residency at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN followed by fellowship in Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine at Boston University. During his fellowship he trained in Dr. Darrell Kotton's laboratory at a time when the derivation of lung lineages from iPSCs was in its infancy.  This was the driving force that led Finn to pursue better models of human lung disease. 

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Andrew Berical, MD

Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellow

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Andrew is a senior research fellow in the Hawkins lab. He is currently working to use iPS cells to model personalized drug responsiveness for specific cystic fibrosis causing mutations. He grew up in New York but is a New England transplant now. Away from the lab, he enjoys being a brand new father to his baby boy Jack!

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Mary Lou Beermann

Lab Manager

Mary Lou is the Hawkins Lab Manager. She is currently focused on deriving airway basal cells from human iPSCs. She also keeps the lab running smoothly. Outside the lab she loves spending time with family and friends. 

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Dylan Thomas

Medical Student/Lab Manager Alumnus

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Medical student at Boston University School of Medicine, Class of 2021. I am a research technician in the the Hawkins Lab continuing to contribute to projects throughout my medical studies. I am an avid skier and love the cold weather after growing up in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Skol Vikings! 

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Contact

For enquiries please contact Finn Hawkins at . For lung differentiation protocols please visit:

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670 Albany St, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA,  02118

Jake Le Suer

Graduate student

Jake graduated Connecticut College in 2016 with a BA in biology and worked as a research assistant at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center prior to being accepted at BU. Outside of the lab Jake enjoys fishing, hiking, friends and family.

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Taylor Matte

Graduate student

Taylor received his BS in biological sciences in 2015 and then his MS in biological sciences from UMass Lowell in 2016. He then worked in the CReM as a bioinformatician/sequencing technician before attending BU in the Graduate Program in Genetics and Genomics. Taylor seeks to combine experimental and computational approaches to study lung development and disease.  Outside of the lab, Taylor loves planning parties, Björk, and sensory deprivation tanks.

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