Research

The Pulmonary and Critical Care Division conducts comprehensive basic and clinical research aimed at better understanding the pathogenesis of respiratory diseases to enhance early diagnosis and improve treatment of these disorders. The pulmonary research efforts are centered in the Thoracic Diseases Research Unit (basic studies) and the Pulmonary Clinical Research Center (clinical investigations).

The Thoracic Diseases Research Unit (TDRU) is housed on Stabile 8. Basic science research within the unit addresses topics as diverse as lung defense against infection, processes in acute lung injury, mechanisms of lung fibrosis, vasculitis, lung repair, asthmatic response and lipid trafficking. The investigators of the TDRU collectively are funded by 16 NIH grants and numerous grants and contracts from foundations and philanthropic support. The investigators employ state of the art approaches to better understanding lung diseases including genomic and proteomic strategies, genetic approaches in yeast, and the full breadth of biochemical, molecular and cell biological methods. The TDRU currently provides a rich training ground for four graduate students and 12 postdoctoral fellows and is home to the NIH-supported Respiratory Biology Training Grant.

Clinical research studies are supported by the Pulmonary Clinical Research Center (PCRC) located in the Lanmark Center and E-18 Mayo. The PCRC provides essential infrastructure for clinical research within the Division. These functions include protocol management, study coordinator activity, support for IRB and other regulatory functions, and data management capabilities. Ongoing studies address important issues in diagnosis and treatment of lung diseases including asthma, COPD, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, vasculitis, Wegener’s granulomatosis and lung cancer (screening, detection and treatment).