Aldo T. Iacono, Md

Biography

I have been working in the field of thoracic organ transplantation and advanced lung diseases throughout my career on a full-time uninterrupted basis since 1992. I am currently employed at the University of Maryland Medical Systems Hospital and previously at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. I have contributed to the clinical and scientific developments towards having both centers develop into major lung transplant programs in the US. Currently, I serve as the Medical Director of the Lung Transplant Program at the University of Maryland Medical Center. I am also a member of The Program in Lung Healing of the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine, which is located in the Maryland Shock Trauma Unit, in Baltimore, Maryland. The goal of this Program is bring together a multidisciplinary team to provide the best clinical care for patients with acute and chronic lung diseases, to carry out cutting edge research and to train future clinician-scientists in this area. Presently, the research program in lung transplantation at the University of Maryland is a multi-faceted research program and has collaborated with several major centers including Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland School of Engineering, INOVA Medical Center in Virginia, the University of Pittsburgh and the NIH Clinical Centers and others. My research interests have been dealing with clinical issues in advanced lung diseases and thoracic organ transplantation. I have been instrumental in the development of interventional bronchoscopic procedures, including novel diagnostic and therapeutic modalities using lasers and stents treat airway stenosis after lung transplant. Recently, I started an independent company (Aerea Corporation) with University of Maryland to develop and commercialize experimental medical devices to assist in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation of mass causality victims. Finally, in the 1990’s I carried out experimental studies on the use of aerosol delivery of cyclosporine as a method of local administration of immunosuppression to the transplanted lungs to reduce toxicities due to high systemic levels. Our team has translated this technique to clinical application in lung recipients. We have demonstrated that aerosolized cyclosporine reduces chronic rejection and improves survival in lung transplant recipients.

Research Interest

Pulmonary, Lung Transplant, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, ECMO, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Cystic Fibrosis, lung disease, aerosol cyclosporine