October 24, 2007

Contact:
- Andrew Weisser, 818.703.6444, aweisser@alac.org

American Lung Association of California Grants $725,000 to Lung Disease Research

--Studies Could Lead to Better Treatments for 5 million Californians With Lung Disease

(October 24, 2007 - OAKLAND, CA) The American Lung Association of California recently granted $725,000 for research that could lead to better treatments and possibly even cures for lung disease. The association funded 10 California researchers who are uncovering the basic mechanisms of lung disease and 20 Asthma Clinical Research Centers across the country.

Finding better treatments for lung diseases like asthma, lung cancer and COPD is critical because death rates from lung disease continue to increase while other leading causes of death have declined.

"The American Lung Association of California funds basic research, which helps us understand how disease works at the molecular level," said Timothy Morris, MD, chair of the American Lung Association of California's Research Administrative Committee. "Medications we take for granted today were all discovered through basic research."

The association awarded $371,500 through its peer-reviewed scientific research program, including two Pulmonary Nurse Scholarships. Every year the American Lung Association of California reviews applications from researchers and nursing students across the state and grants up to $50,000 to research projects that meet its guidelines and up to $6,000 to master's level nursing students who are pursuing careers in pulmonary care.

More than $353,000 went to support the American Lung Association's nationwide network of Asthma Clinical Research Centers, including one at the University of California, San Diego. It is the country's largest not-for-profit network of clinical research centers dedicated to asthma.

Researchers in San Diego are involved in several national studies on asthma. They are currently enrolling people with asthma for a study to determine whether taking antibiotics along with regularly prescribed medications will help those who also experience chronic lung infections. Another is looking at the use of inhaled corticosteroids and whether guidelines should be changed regarding dosages. Researchers recently completed enrollment for a study that will examine the effect of acid reflux on asthma.

"For lung diseases that we still don't have effective treatments for, like lung cancer, basic research holds the answer. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in this country," Dr. Morris said. "Tuberculosis is another one. Basic research led us to effective treatments more than 50 years ago, but new drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis are causing serous problems."

The World Health Organization estimates that up to 50 million people worldwide may be infected with drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis or TB. In addition, 300,000 new cases of multi-drug resistant TB are diagnosed around the world each year.

"Basically the bacteria learn to deal with these drugs and they mutate so the drugs don't work anymore," said Christoph Grundner, Ph.D., who is conducting research into a protein that may hold the answer. "There haven't been any new (TB) drugs developed since the 1960s."

Dr. Grundner has always been interested in infectious disease. When he learned the serious toll TB is taking worldwide, he decided to get involved.

"Before I became aware of the problem, I thought TB had ceased to be a threat in the last century," he said. "I didn't think it was a global health issue anymore, but it turns out it's one of the biggest."

Other funded studies focus on lung cancer, COPD, lung injury, and pulmonary hypertension. The American Lung Association of California launched its research program in 1958 and in the last decade alone has granted more than $8 million in California.

This year's Research Grants include:

Hui Dong, MD, Ph.D., at the University of California, San Diego, is examining cell mechanisms that could lead to the narrowing of the arteries that occurs in people with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension so new treatments could be developed that target the molecules controlling those mechanisms.

Susan Lynch, Ph.D., at the University of California, San Francisco, is identifying the types of bacteria present when people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience flare ups to determine the role they play in the disease.

Karen L. Oslund, DVM, Ph.D., at the University of California, Davis, is investigating the role of a protein that protects the lining of the airways after exposure to irritants like air pollution and causes inflammation to determine whether lungs that produce excess amounts are more resistant to injury.

This year's Research Training Fellowships include:

Jun Araya, MD, Ph.D., at the University of California, San Francisco, is examining specific molecules in airway cells to determine how they affect changes in the airway wall that occur during inflammation so that new medicines can be developed that reduce the airway thickening that occurs with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Christoph Grundner, Ph.D., at the University of California, Berkeley, is investigating proteins that help tuberculosis bacterium "turn off" immune cells' ability to kill bacterium in order to develop new treatments that target these proteins.

Samir Makani, MD, at the University of California, San Diego, is examining the immune system's first-line defense response and its role in allergic inflammation so new treatments can be developed that prevent the domino effect that leads to an asthma episode.

Philippe Montgrain, MD, at the University of California, San Diego, is studying a hormone-related protein produced by about two-thirds of lung cancers, which slows tumor growth in mice and prolongs survival in women, to determine why it produces different results in men and women.

Ping-Hui Tseng, Ph.D., at the University of California, San Diego, is investigating proteins in the immune system that recognize infectious threats to the lungs but can also cause damage so that new therapies can be discovered that block the undesired response without affecting the proteins' benefits.

This year's Clinical Research Grant includes:

Kamran Atabai, MD, at the University of California, San Francisco, is examining how a protein facilitates the removal of cells that are killed off in response to a lung injury in hopes of developing better treatments for fibrosis.

Other awards:

Randolph Hastings, MD, Ph.D., at the VA San Diego Healthcare System, received a Lung Cancer Discovery Award grant to study a hormone-related protein that is produced by about two-thirds of lung cancers and improves lung cancer rates in women to determine whether treatments already used for prostate cancer could also be effective for men with lung cancer that produces the protein. The Lung Cancer Discovery Award grant was co-funded by the American Lung Association and the LUNGevity Foundation.

The American Lung Association of California also awarded Pulmonary Nurse Scholarships to Samuel Kim, RN, at San Francisco State University, and Wonae Kim, RN, at the University of California, Los Angeles. Highly trained pulmonary nurses are critical to the specialized care needed by lung disease patients.

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About the American Lung Association
Beginning our second century, the American Lung Association is the leading organization working to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. Lung disease death rates continue to increase while other leading causes of death have declined. The American Lung Association funds vital research on the causes of and treatments for lung disease. With the generous support of the public, the American Lung Association is “Improving life, one breath at a time.” For more information about the American Lung Association or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or log on to www.lungusa.org.