American Lung Association Research in Illinois

(February 22, 2012)—

The American Lung Association strongly supports research to prevent and reduce the exacerbation of lung disease through an improvement in diagnosis, treatments and discovery of cures.  Our American Lung Association Nationwide Research program is comprised of three units:

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  • Awards and Grants Program – Funds researchers dedicated to supporting our mission of eliminating tobacco related diseases, reducing the burden of lung disease and improving the quality of our air. 
  • Asthma Clinical Research Centers Network (ACRC) – Nation’s largest not-for-profit network of clinical research centers dedicated to asthma treatment research.
  • Epidemiology & Statistics Program – Monitors trends in lung disease and behavioral risk factors and release the findings in data-rich reports.

Since 1915, our researchers have made significant milestones in the fight against lung disease. As such, premature babies are less likely to die from respiratory distress syndrome; TB rates are at an all-time low; and young and old with chronic lung diseases are benefitting from improved treatment options such as lung transplantation, oxygen therapy and genetically-based medicines.

In January, the ACRC found that a common practice of prescribing acid controllers to children with poorly treated asthma does not improve or control asthma symptoms. These prescriptions could lead to harmful side effects such as upper respiratory infections. 

Illinois

In Illinois, our 2011-2012 grant recipients conducting groundbreaking research are Dr. Kameswara Rao Badri and Dr. Gee Lau.

Dr. Kameswara Rao Badri is an American Lung Association Interstitial Lung Scholar, as well as a recipient of the American Lung Association Dalsemer Research Grant. With the help of this grant, Dr. Badri is conducting research at the University of Chicago on connective tissue associated with pulmonary fibrosis. Pulmonary fibrosis is a disease marked by the scarring of the tissue inside and between the air sacs in the lungs that causes irreversible damage and constricted air flow. Dr. Badri is looking at the connective tissue cells to determine how an increase or decrease in certain tissue cells protect against the development of pulmonary fibrosis and other lung diseases that involve pulmonary blood vessels.

Dr. Gee Lau is conducting research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on a toxin associated with Bronchiectasis as a recipient of an American Lung Association research grant. The research of this toxin could lead to effective treatments to reduce illness and death in patients with Bronchiectasis, an incurable chronic inflammatory condition that is a component of cystic fibrosis.

The American Lung Association will continue to fund research to reduce the burden of lung disease, find new treatments, and one day, a cure.

For more information on the American Lung Association’s research projects, click here.