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Study first to firmly establish causes and progression of COPD << BACK | Download Word File Vancouver, June 23, 2004 — A study led by researchers at Providence Health Care has provided the most conclusive answers to date on the causes of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. The study's results are published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine US. By pinpointing the causes and progression of COPD, the study will help guide further research into possible treatments for the disease. COPD is the fifth most common cause of death in North America and is the only leading cause of death that is rising in prevalence. There is no cure. The study, which examined lung tissue taken from a large sample of surgical patients who were chronic smokers, demonstrates that COPD is caused by an inflammatory immune response to the inju-ries inflicted on the lung by toxic gases and particles in cigarette smoke and air pollution. This re-sponse interferes with the natural defenses of the lung resulting in colonization and infection by a vari-ety of bacteria and viruses. The repair process that attempts to control this lung damage forms scar tissue that thickens the airway walls and narrows the airway passages, producing the irreversible ob-struction that characterizes late-stage COPD. Medical science has long suspected that these processes were part of COPD, but this study is the first to clearly identify the disease progression using comprehensive data. This lays the groundwork for future research into the immune response displayed in COPD patients. Finding how to interfere with the immune response could halt the progression of the disease and provide the basis of future thera-peutic interventions. This research was funded in part by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the National Insti-tutes of Health. Dr. James C. Hogg, a researcher at the namesake James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research at St. Paul's Hospital and a Professor Emeritus of Pathology the University of British Columbia, was the lead author of the study, which was conducted with collaborators at the National Jewish Research and Medical Centre in Denver, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre and the Baylor College of Medicine. St. Paul's is part of Providence Health Care, Canada's largest Catholic heath care organization. CONTACT: Ms. Melanie Hanson Manager, Scientific Affairs The iCAPTURE Centre Phone: 604-806-9266 www.icapture.ca Mr. Gavin Wilson Communications Providence Health Care Phone: 604-806-8583 Pager: 604-667-4397 Background Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) refers to a number of chronic lung disorders that ob-struct the airways. The most common form of COPD is a combination of chronic bronchitis and em-physema. Not all smokers and only 10-15% of heavy smokers will develop COPD. It is not known why. COPD can also result from occupational exposure to chemical fumes and organic dusts such as grain, cotton, or wood or mining dusts. This disease is permanent and has no cure. COPD is the fifth most common cause of death in North America today and is the only leading cause of death that is rising in prevalence. Dr. James Hogg Dr. James Hogg, MD, PhD, FRSC, is Professor Emeritus of Pathology at the James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research at St. Paul's Hospital and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Dr. Hogg's research focuses on the inflammatory process in the lung with particular reference to the structure and function of the lungs in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. His recent honours include the 2002 Henry Friesen Award from the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and the 2004 Chugai Award for Excellence in Mentoring and Academic Scholarship. The James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre for Pulmonary and Cardiovascular Research The iCAPTURE Centre builds on a 25-year legacy of health research begun by Drs. Jim Hogg and Peter Pare when they moved to Vancouver from McGill University in 1977. The iCAPTURE Centre now has nearly 250 personnel, including 29 nationally funded principal investigators, and numerous trainees and staff members working to solve the unknowns of heart, lung and blood vessel diseases. The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the BC Knowledge Development Fund and their part-ners have awarded over $20 million to the UBC-affiliated iCAPTURE Centre at St. Paul's Hospital for infrastructure that will help propel the team to a new level of discovery. The purpose of the iCAP-TURE Centre at St. Paul's Hospital is to link recent breakthroughs in genetic sciences and an under-standing of multiple environments to abnormal gene expression and to changes in the structure and function (phenotype) of cells, tissues, and organs in model systems and in people related to the devel-opment of heart, lung, and blood vessel diseases. For additional information please refer to the website: www.icapture.ca << BACK | Download Word File |
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