She has received a three-year Established Investigator Award to study the role of TSC2 in airspace enlargement in LAM. Dr. Krymskaya’s preliminary data provides evidence that airspace enlargement occurs specifically due to growth of cells deficient for TSC2, thus establishing a direct link between loss of TSC2 function, abnormal growth of TSC2-null cells and lung destruction. Her study will identify cellular mechanisms of airspace enlargement induced by TSC2-null tumor growth, will provide insights about novel molecular targets, and will provide pre-clinical evidence for treatment of LAM.