Xinh-Xinh Nguyen, Ph.D.

A Microphysiological Skin Model of Atopic Dermatitis for Screening Immunomodulatory Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Therapies

2021 Translational Science Interagency Fellow

Biography

Xinh-Xinh Nguyen

Xinh-Xinh Nguyen joined NCATS in 2021 as a Translational Science Interagency (TSI) fellow. Nguyen joined the Translational Science Interagency Fellowship (TSIF) program because it will provide her with an opportunity to gain expertise in translational research and research related to regulatory and drug development science and to further enhance her understanding of the translational relevance of basic research. These experiences will help her develop a broad perspective of the applicability of her science and establish diverse skills, potential research ideas, and future projects.

Prior to joining NCATS, Nguyen’s graduate research examined the role of insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-5 and lysyl oxidase (LOX) and whether they can serve as potential therapeutic targets in fibrotic diseases. Her short-term goal is to continue with a postdoctoral fellowship training program to further explore translational research opportunities and enhance her knowledge, strengthen her specialized research skills, and develop her critical thinking. Her long-term career aspiration is to understand the etiology of rare disorders — such as scleroderma — and to identify possible therapeutic treatments for the disease. She plans to provide knowledge to the field of fibrosis that can be translated into medical care for patients affected by these disorders. She earned her Ph.D. from the Medical University of South Carolina.

Fun Fact

She enjoys hiking and experimental cooking with family and friends, and she speaks Vietnamese fluently.

Publications

  1. Nguyen XX, Sanderson M, Helke K, Feghali-Bostwick C. Phenotypic characterization of transgenic mice expressing human IGFBP-5. Int J Mol Sci. 2020;22(1):335. Available from: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/1/335
  2. Nguyen XX, Nishimoto T, Takihara T, Mlakar L, Bradshaw A, Feghali-Bostwick C. Lysyl oxidase directly contributes to extracellular matrix production and fibrosis in systemic sclerosis. 2021;320(1):L29-L40. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. Available from: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/ajplung.00173.2020?rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org
  3. Herro R, Miki H, Seth GS, et al. TL1A promotes lung tissue fibrosis and airway remodeling. J Immunol. 2019;205(9):2414-2422. Available from: https://www.jimmunol.org/content/205/9/2414.long
  4. van de Vlekkert D, Demmers J, Nguyen XX, et al. Excessive exosome release is the pathogenic pathway linking a lysosomal deficiency to generalized fibrosis. Sci Adv. 2019;5(7):eaav3270. Available from: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/7/eaav3270
  5. Nguyen XX, Muhammad L, Nietert PJ, Feghali-Bostwick C. IGFBP-5 promotes fibrosis via increasing its own expression and that of other pro-fibrotic mediators. Front. Endocrinol. 2018;9:601. Available from: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2018.00601/full