Zachary Saracino received his B.S. in Biochemistry in 2022 and his M.S. in Molecular and Cell Biology in 2023. He joined the Chioccioli Lab at Yale School of Medicine in 2024, where he currently works as a Postgraduate Associate in the Departments of Comparative Medicine and Genetics. Zach’s research centers on regenerative medicine, with a particular focus on understanding how alveolar stem cells behave during injury and repair in the lung.

In this webinar, Zach will discuss how precision-cut lung slices (PCLS) and the Lung Explant Imaging System (LEIS) can be used to study dynamic alveolar stem cell behavior over time. By using lung explants from mice subjected to bleomycin- and BHT-induced injuries, his work aims to uncover the cellular mechanisms that drive tissue regeneration.

In this webinar, Zach will:

  • Highlight how PCLS models enable real-time observation of lung cell behavior
  • Demonstrate that alveolar stem cell migration between functional alveolar units is critical for effective tissue repair
  • Introduce the Lung Explant Imaging System (LEIS) and its role in enabling long-term, high-resolution imaging of AT2 cells post-injury
  • Share insights into how spatial and temporal tracking of stem cells can inform therapeutic strategies for lung diseases