Magdalena Maria Gorska, MD, PhD
Magdalena Maria Gorska, MD, is a researcher at National Jewish Health. Dr. Gorska is in the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Programs and Services
Research AreasSpecial Interests
Research Interests
The Gorska Lab studies non-genetic inheritance of allergic diseases. Non-genetic inheritance is the transmission of traits from parents to offspring through mechanisms that do not involve changes to the DNA sequence. The key triggers of non-genetic inheritance are parental environmental exposures. Non-genetic inheritance of environmental information is postulated to influence allergic diseases. Parental environmental exposures can either promote offspring predisposition to allergic disease, or help offspring develop disease resistance. As such, childhood allergic diseases positively associate with maternal exposure to air pollutants, and negatively, with maternal exposure to the farming environment. Our lab develops mouse models to establish a causal relationship between maternal exposure and offspring allergic disease, and studies the underlying mechanisms.The goals of the lab are to define maternal information that is gained and transmitted to offspring, or lost and not transferred to offspring, elucidate routes of information transfer (placenta, breast milk, gametes), delineate offspring cells that receive maternal information, reveal epigenetic alterations, and study how these cells and epigenetic alterations contribute to the development of allergies and asthma. The lab has particular interest in the immune system. The translational goals are to identify early-life biomarkers of predisposition to allergies and asthma in humans and define targets for development of preventive drugs.
To accomplish these goals, our lab uses mouse models, human tissue samples, and a variety of immunological, molecular, epigenetic, epigenomics and transcriptomics approaches.
Education
Education
- 2010
- Medical University of Lodz, Poland, Habilitation degree
- 2007
- Medical University of Lodz, Poland, PhD
- 1999
- Medical University of Lodz, Poland, MD
Fellowship
- 2002 - 2004
- National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, Postdoctoral Fellowship
- 1999 - 2002
- University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, Postdoctoral Fellowship
Awards & Recognition
2026-2031: U19AI198425 (Asthma and Allergic Diseases Cooperative Research Center Grant), Project 2
2026-2031: R01AI189915
2024-2025: NJH Murnick Asthma Discovery Accelerator Program Award
2023: Election to American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI)
2020-2025: R01AI143837
2015-2026: R01HL122995
2017: G. Barsumian, M.D. Memorial Fund Grant Award
2016: Election to Collegium Internationale Allergologicum (CIA)
2015: NJH Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award
2014-2015: American Lung Association Biomedical Research Grant
2012: Invited Speaker, Presidential Plenary Session, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) Annual Meeting
2012-2013: Denver Children’s Environmental Health Center Faculty Development Award (NIEHS PO1 ES-018181 and EPA GAD 834515010)
2011-2014: Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI) KL2 Research Scholar Award (NIH, KL2 TR001080)
2011-2013: Sheldon C. Siegel Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America Investigator Grant Award
2011: NJH DOM Basic Science Section Grant
2010-2011: CCTSI Junior Faculty Pilot Award (NIH, UL1 TR001082)
2005-2006: AAAAI Interest Section Award
2000-2002: University of Texas James W. McLaughlin Award
1998-1999: Polish Ministry of Health Scholarship for Academic Excellence (Poland)
1993-1998: Lodz Medical School Scholarship for Academic Excellence (Poland)
1992-1993: Polish Children Fund Scholarship for highly gifted Polish schoolchildren
Professional Memberships
American Society for Clinical Investigation
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
American Association of Immunologists
Collegium Internationale Allergologicum
Publications
Qian Q, Chowdhury BP, Sun Z, Lenberg J, Alam R, Vivier E, Gorska MM. Maternal diesel particle exposure promotes offspring asthma through NK cell-derived granzyme B. J Clin Invest. 2020, 130:4133-4151. PMID: 32407293; PMCID: PMC7410053.
Lenberg J, Qian Q, Sun Z, Alam R, Gorska MM. Pre-pregnancy exposure to diesel exhaust predisposes offspring to asthma through IL-1β and IL-17A. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2018, 141:1118-1122.e3. PMCID: PMC5844783.
Manners S, Alam R, Schwartz DA, Gorska MM. A mouse model links asthma susceptibility to prenatal exposure to diesel exhaust. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014, 134:63-72.e7. PMCID: PMC4065237.
Gorska MM, Alam R. A mutation in the human Uncoordinated 119 gene impairs TCR signaling and is associated with CD4 lymphopenia. Blood. 2012, 119:1399-1406. PMCID: PMC3286207
Gorska MM, Stafford S, Liang Q, Goplen N, Dharajiya N, Guo L, Sur S, Gaestel M, Alam R. MK2 controls the level of negative feedback in the NF-κB pathway and is essential for endothelial permeability and airway inflammation. J. Exp. Med. 2007, 204:1637-1652. PMCID: PMC2118652
Gorska MM, Stafford SJ, Cen O, Sur S, and Alam R. Unc119, a Novel Activator of Lck/Fyn, is Essential for T Cell Activation. J. Exp. Med. 2004, 199:369-379. PMCID: PMC2211793
Academic Affiliations
Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, National Jewish Health
Professor, Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology, University of Colorado
Training Faculty Member, Immunology Graduate Program, University of Colorado
Training Faculty Member, Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Colorado
Training Faculty Member, Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of Colorado
Training Faculty Member, Cell Biology, Stem Cells, and Development Graduate Program, University of Colorado
Teaching & Professional Positions
Associate Program Director of Research, Allergy and Clinical Immunology Fellowship Program, University of Colorado/National Jewish Health
Training Faculty Member, Immunology Graduate Program, University of Colorado
Training Faculty Member, Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Colorado
Training Faculty Member, Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of Colorado
Training Faculty Member, Cell Biology, Stem Cells, and Development Graduate Program, University of Colorado
Mentoring
I am committed to mentoring and developing the next generation of scientists. I continue to refine my teaching and mentorship skills through participation in mentoring courses, including courses offered by CCTSI and CU Medicine ORE.