Robert Tarran

Biography

 Dr. Tarran is the scientific founder of Spyryx Biosciences, based on his discovery of the SPLUNC1/ENaC regulatory pathway in the respiratory tract. He is an Associate Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, a member of the Lineberger Cancer Center, and a member of the Cystic Fibrosis and Pulmonary Diseases Research and Treatment Center. Additionally, he is the founder and Director of UNC’s NIH/FDA-funded Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science. Dr. Tarran has served on advisory and steering committees for the FDA and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Dr. Tarran’s research interests have centered on the role of ion channels in chronic lung diseases such as CF, COPD, and asthma. He has studied this field for more than 20 years and is widely published, including his work on SPLUNC1 as a key regulator of ENaC and airway hydration and its dysfunction in CF airways. He was also a member of the team that discovered airway surface liquid (ASL) dehydration to be one of the most significant defects in the CF airway and a target for therapeutic intervention. During his career, Dr. Tarran has significantly contributed to the establishment of confocal assessment of ASL height as a method for studying airway epithelial function. Dr. Tarran received his BSc (hons) from The University of Leeds, UK. His PhD in Physiology was awarded at Newcastle University. Prior to joining the faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill, he completed post-doctoral research in ion channel physiology at University of California-Berkley and at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Research Interest

 Medical