Research Provides Building Blocks for Better Treatments

(Research Matters, Breathe Easy Magazine, Spring/Summer 2000)

Scientists may someday unlock the mysteries of asthma and other lung diseases thanks to the basic research conducted today through funding from the American Lung Association of California. Every year the association funds research into the nature of disease that will eventually provide the building blocks for understanding and treating lung diseases.

The last century brought incredible scientific advances in medicine and the advent of new disease-fighting drugs and diagnostic procedures. While tremendous progress has been made in molecular biology and genetics, there is still much to be discovered about lung disease.

"We are a long way from translating the information, understanding how disease processes work and how to fix them," says Timothy Bigby, MD, member of the American Lung Association's Research Program Administrative Committee.

The American Lung Association of California is dedicated to continuing its nearly century-long campaign to fight lung disease through scientific research.

"The American Lung Association has funded projects that lay the groundwork for important discoveries," says Steve Dubinett, MD, chair of the American Lung Association of California's Research Grant Committee. "It's as if a very large number of people are working on a mosaic and each researcher may have a piece of tile, which together could ultimately result in a cure."

Dr. Dubinett has been studying the immune cell response in lung cancer for more than 15 years. Early in his career, he was awarded an American Lung Association research grant.

"Research grants are often given to young investigators, and the grants act as a springboard into their scientific career and future studies in lung disease," Dr. Bigby says. "The credibility and funding from the American Lung Association also attracts additional funding from other sources for advanced lung disease research."

During the 1999-2000 fiscal year, the American Lung Association of California has funded two advance pulmonary nursing scholarships and 18 research projects totaling $457,000.

Discovering Mysteries of the Airways

This year's research projects examine how the lungs work and what goes wrong during disease. Several look at the nature of inflammation and how it can be controlled. Others examine how the lung reacts to injury or stress. Three explore lung cancer cells and whether they can be controlled by genes or enzymes. Another is studying proteins that could be used to treat fluid buildup in the lungs because they act as channels and transport fluids across lung membranes.

Discoveries made here could someday lead to a cure. In the meantime, they will help investigators understand how disease affects the lungs today so that more effective treatments can be developed to help people with lung disease lead quality lives.