Silva Laboratory

What we do

• Research in the Silva Lab is focused on understanding the role of hemostatic factors in inflammatory regulation in the mucosal tissues. Dr. Silva’s current lab has funded projects on understanding the role of fibrin in activating neutrophil effector functions in the oral mucosa.

Research Focus

• Mucosal barrier sites are the first encounters of many environmental stimuli that maintain the delicate balance between protection from infection or injury and pathological inflammation. Tissue injury causes activation of two very important systems, namely the hemostatic system and the inflammatory system. These two systems work in a reciprocal relationship to repair the damage and maintain mucosal homeostasis. 

  Work from the last few decades has uncovered the involvement of the hemostatic factors in immunity. It is not surprising, as the central immune cells of invertebrates, hemocytes, are able to phagocytose, secrete soluble mediators and promote coagulation of hemolymph, blurring the line between immunity and hemostasis. The undeniable link between coagulation and immunity becomes clearer as the role of coagulation factors in inflammation is better understood.

On-going projects

• Fibrin–platelet engagement in oral mucosal immunopathology
• Fibrin–neutrophil signaling in oral mucosa
• Role of the hemostatic factors in oral mucosal diseases