Institute for Airway Sciences

The Institute for Airway Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is the first clinical and research collaborative of its kind in the nation, dedicated to advancing new therapies for patients with sinus, laryngotracheal airway, and lung diseases. The Institute is comprised of a multidisciplinary group of researchers and clinicians with deep scientific and clinical expertise in areas of epithelial science, regenerative medicine, and transplant immunology. Working with clinicians in otolaryngology, pulmonary medicine, laryngology, and transplant medicine, the Institute is committed to understanding the biology and physiology of the entire human airway system, the epithelium, and its interactions. By working together, physicians and scientists from these various disciplines can accelerate discoveries in the laboratory to the clinical setting. A remarkable example of this type of bench-to-bedside translation is the first ever successful human tracheal transplant performed at Mount Sinai in 2021.

The tracheal transplant and the COVID-19 pandemic brought the importance of establishing a multidisciplinary airway collaborative to the forefront. For many years, the airway was considered a simple structure. However, over the past two decades, there has been a growing appreciation for the complexity of the airway and the importance of studying its structures and organs as a unified system. From the sinuses down to the lungs and all areas of the body in between, our multidisciplinary team of experts forge a better understanding of disease transmission, immunology, and regeneration–and, ultimately, improved airway treatments.

Patient Care

Every breath we take exposes our body to potential viruses and environmental toxins. Our team of physicians and researchers at the Institute for Airway Sciences at Icahn Mount Sinai collaborate with clinical and research teams across the Mount Sinai Health System to make advancements in patient care. Bringing Mount Sinai experts together increases our understanding of the respiratory system and its ability to heal itself, as well as help identify novel approaches to treat airway diseases. The Institute helps patients by establishing new therapies for diseases of the sinus, laryngotracheal airway, and lungs. In addition to the vast areas of research we conduct, we treat the following conditions:

Cancers and disorders affecting the lung, trachea, and respiratory tract
Sinus conditions
Diseases of the laryngotracheal airway
Lung diseases, including COPD and asthma
Traumatic lung injuries and tissue regeneration
Lung and tracheal transplantation

MEET THE DIRECTORS

Ya-Wen Chen, PhD

Scientific Director

Dr. Chen is Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology and Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology and is celebrated for her work in lung organoid development to better understand molecular mechanisms underlying lung reaeration.

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MEET THE DIRECTORS

Eric M Genden, MD

Clinical Co-Director

Dr. Genden is internationally recognized as a leader and innovator in the management of oropharyngeal cancers and microvascular reconstruction of the head and neck.

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