Harvard Catalyst Profiles

The mission of the Laidlaw Lab is to bridge the divide between basic science and clinical medicine in order to improve the lives of patients with respiratory inflammation, sinus disease, and aspirin/NSAID hypersensitivity. Our collective approach to research encourages cross-specialty collaborations in order to accelerate the application of discoveries from the bench to the bedside and back.

Our laboratory research is focused on understanding Aspirin Exacerbated Respiratory Disease (AERD), also known as Samter’s Triad, and chronic sinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP). We are investigating the causative mechanisms of AERD/Samter’s Triad and CRSwNP, as well as exploring new treatments for these diseases and working to understand how patients can become desensitized to aspirin. Our group at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s AERD Center follows over 1400 patients with AERD/Samter’s Triad and have several ongoing research studies that are currently recruiting and enrolling patients. We are also actively involved in research to further knowledge about the causes of CRSwNP, and to better understand the consequences of being allergic to aspirin or NSAIDs.