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University of Michigan Begins New Research for Emphysema & Other COPD
The University of Michigan Health System will start two new multi-center research studies that seek to improve diagnosis and treatment for millions of people affected by emphysema, chronic bronchitis and other lung diseases. Researchers seek to answer two major questions related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD):
- Why do some smokers develop lung disease and others don't?
- How effective is supplemental oxygen therapy in treating patients with emphysema?
The first study, COPDGeneTM, hopes to uncover why only 25 percent of smokers develop the disease. UM will enroll hundreds of current and former smokers with and without COPD between 45 and 80 years old to discover the inherited factors that put some people at a higher risk of developing the disease. The study will enroll more than 12,000 people across 21 leading medical centers in the United States.
Funded by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health and National Jewish Health, the study will include people with mild to severe COPD and people without the disease to serve as comparisons.
The University of Michigan will also be studying patients 40 years of age or older for the Long-term Oxygen Treatment Trial (LOTT), which will take a look at the effects of 24-hour supplemental oxygen therapy on patients with COPD. This study will also be funded by the NHLBI, as well as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
“To be selected to participate in two groundbreaking COPD clinical trials demonstrates the depth and breadth of UM’s significant achievements in diagnosing, treating and preventing COPD,” says Fernando J. Martinez, M.D., M.S., director of Pulmonary Diagnostic Services, professor of internal medicine and principal investigator for both clinical trials. "Furthermore, within the next several months new studies for improved diagnosis and therapy of COPD patients will be starting. Unlocking the keys to the genetic disposition of COPD and the efficacy of oxygen therapy can go far in making life better for the millions affected by COPD.” Click here to access the full story on Medical News Today
