Martin Kolb

, MD, PhD

Associate Professor
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

Division: Molecular Medicine

Research Director, Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health Respirology, Medicine

St. Joseph's Healthcare
T2131, Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health
905-522-1155 ext. 34973
kolbm@mcmaster.ca

Assistant: Jennifer Mortensen ext. 35311
Clinical: Janice Rutgers ext. 35003

Education and Professional Standing

• MD, University of Wurzburg (Germany) 1991
• University Lecturer for Internal Medicine, University of Wurzburg (Germany), 2003

---

Interests

Research Focus

Understanding the pathogenesis of chronic inflammation and fibrosis in the lung parenchyma and airways. Development of novel anti-cytokine therapies. Biomarker development. 

I am a respiratory physician with involvement in basic research project as well as clinical commitment to patient care. My research interest is focused on the pathogenesis of fibroproliferative disease in the lung parenchyma. Pulmonary fibrosis can be the result of chronic inflammation such as in irradiation damage or chronic transplant rejection. It can also occur without apparent signs of inflammation, leading to a severe and untreatable disease of humans. The overall prognosis of pulmonary fibrosis is worse than that of the most common cancer types.

We have developed excellent and worldwide accepted rodent models of lung fibrosis using adenoviral gene transfer, which enables us to express genes of our interest right in the lung and study their local effect. As cytokines are major players in the pathogenesis of the disease, our activities concentrate on overexpression of profibrotic factors (e.g. TGFbeta) and /or administration of drugs with the capacity to inhibit these factors. Understanding the “language” and principles of each other is crucial for both basic scientists and clinicians. My goal is to help bridge the gap between bench and bedside in the field of fibroproliferative lung disease.

Clinical Focus

My clinical focus involves providing service for respirology in-patients at St. Joseph’s Healthcare and teaching residents in a general respirology clinic.  I am also a member of a specialty clinic for interstitial lung disease where I perform clinical trials for lung fibrosis and conduct biomarker studies for the management of fibrotic lung disease. 

Academic Interests

I teach both residents and clerks in McMaster’s Graduate School of Medicine program.  I act as a supervisor for many MD, PhD and Masters students. I am also the Research Director of the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health (FIRH).

---

Team Members

Lab Technicians

Fugin Duan, Daniela Farkas

Post-Doctoral Fellows

Laszlo Farkas, Cui Ye

PhD Students

Aaron Froese, Shyam Maharaj

Selected Publications

• Farkas L, Ask K, Möller A, Farkas D, Margetts PJ, Gauldie J, Inman M, Kolb MRJ. VEGF-mediated angiogenesis ameliorates pulmonary hypertension in an animal model of lung fibrosis. J Clin Invest 2009;119(5):1298-311.
• Moeller A, Gilpin SE, Ask K, Cox G, Cook DJ, Gauldie J, Margetts PJ, Farkas L, Dobranowski J, Boylan C, O’Byrne PM, Strieter RM, Kolb MRJ. Circulating Fibrocytes Are an Indicator for Poor Prognosis in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Am J Resp Crit Care Med 2009;179(7):588-94.
• Prasse A, Stahl M, Schulz G, Kayser G, Wang L, Ask K, Yalcintepe J, Kirschbaum A, Bargagli E, Zissel G, Kolb M, Müller-Quernheim J, Weiss JM, Renkl AC. Increased Osteopontin Production in Smoking-Related Interstitial Lung Diseases. Am J Path 2009;174(5):1683-91.
• Ask K, Labiris R, Farkas L, Moeller A, Froese A, Farncombe T, McClelland G, Inman M, Gauldie J, Kolb MRJ. Comparison between conventional and “clinical” assessment of experimental lung fibrosis. J Transl Med 2008; 6: 16.
• Chen H, Zhuang F, Liu Y-H, Xu B, Moral P, Deng W, Chai Y, Kolb M, Gauldie J, Warburton D, Moses HL, Shi W. TGF-β receptor II in Epithelia Versus Mesenchyme Plays Distinct Role in Developing Lung. Eur Respir J 2008; 32: 285-295.
• Ask K, Bonniaud P, Maass K, Eickelberg O, Margetts PJ, Warburton D, Groffen J, Gauldie J, Kolb M. Progressive pulmonary fibrosis is mediated by TGF-beta isoform 1 but not TGF-?3. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2008; 40: 484-495.
• Moeller A, Ask K, Warburton D, Gauldie J, Kolb M. The bleomycin model: a useful tool to investigate therapies for IPF? Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2008; 40: 362-382.
• Froese A, Ask K, Labiris R, Farncombe T, Warburton D, Inman M, Gauldie J, Kolb M. Three-dimensional CT Imaging in an animal model of emphysema. Eur Respir J 2007; 30; 1082-89.
• Décologne N, Kolb M, Margetts PJ, Ménétrier F, Artur Y, Garrido C, Gauldie J, Camus P, Bonniaud P. Transforming growth factor-beta1 induces progressive pleural scarring and subpleural fibrosis. J Immunol 2007; 179: 6043-51.