Peter Miller, MD, PhD, 2024-2025

Research Project:
How Common Forms of DNA Mutation in the Blood Can Contribute to COPD

Grant Awarded:

Innovation Award

Research Topics:

basic biologic mechanisms
immunology immunotherapy
risk factors
tobacco

Research Disease:

COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common lung disease that causes extensive hospitalization and death. While age and smoking are major risk factors for COPD, there are other important contributors and the biological drivers of COPD remain incompletely understood. We will study how DNA mutations that occur in blood cells of individuals (termed clonal hematopoiesis, or CH) contribute to a variety of non-blood diseases. CH is quite common, occurring in more than 10% of individuals over the age of 60. We recently published a study showing that individuals with CH had a higher risk of having COPD, and then used laboratory models to confirm our findings. We will now study how other common forms of CH can contribute to COPD. We will be expanding our original study to include over 500,000 patients and use mouse models to dissect the underlying biology. We believe our work will identify at risk-populations and enable new therapies to prevent and treat COPD.

Page last updated: September 8, 2026

Peter Miller, MD, PhD

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