Dr. Maria Trojanowska is a Professor in the Division of Rheumatology & Immunology at the Medical University of South Carolina. She received an MS in biology at the University of Warsaw and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the Polish Academy of Science and Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Warsaw, Poland. She joined the Division of Rheumatology at MUSC in 1986.

Dr. Trojanowska’s research is aimed at understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis in healthy tissues and in pathological conditions such as fibrosis and tumorigenesis. ECM is a network of various macromolecules secreted by the cells. Besides providing a structural support, ECM has many regulatory functions; hence its synthesis and degradation are precisely regulated to ensure proper functioning of a tissue or an organ. Fibrosis is a pathological condition characterized by excessive deposition of ECM. It can affect different organs, including skin, lungs, kidneys, liver and others, leading to destruction of tissue architecture and function. Dr. Trojanowska’s laboratory focuses on the pathogenesis of scleroderma, an autoimmune disease characterized by vascular abnormalities and a prominent fibrosis of the skin. Her laboratory uses molecular and cellular approaches and various experimental models to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for uncontrolled ECM deposition and vessel degeneration in scleroderma.

The second area of investigation is related to activation of tumor stroma. It is now well established that the stromal compartment is a critical modulator of tumor growth and progression. For the solid tumor to grow and to invade surrounding tissue, specific changes have to take place in the composition of ECM to facilitate recruitment of the microvasculature and migration of tumor cells. Specifically, the tumor stroma is characterized by the high turnover of the ECM indicating elevated synthesis as well as increased degradation of collagens and other matrix molecules. Dr. Trojanowska’s laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms that mediate controlled regulation of ECM turnover in healthy connective tissue and are responsible for dysregulation of this process during tumorigenesis.

Work in the laboratory is supported by grants from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases and from the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Trojanowska's Curriculum Vitae (PDF Format)*

* Note in order to view this document you will need to have the free Adobe Reader®  installed on your computer.  More on Adobe Acrobat®.