Research Key to Fighting Lung Disease
The American Lung Association has been fighting lung disease
for a century. From the devastation of tuberculosis and related
laws to prohibit spitting on the sidewalk to the Proposition 99
tobacco tax and smoke-free bars, research has been the guiding
force behind the organization's programs and policy issues.
When the American Lung Association was founded 100 years ago
in 1904, tuberculosis (TB) was the dreaded disease. It struck
down young and old alike and the association, then called the
Tuberculosis Society, vowed to stop it.
"Through research, we were able to find drugs to treat
tuberculosis," says Spencer Koerner, MD, former director
of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Hospital
in Los Angeles who has reviewed hundreds of research projects
on behalf of both the statewide and nationwide American Lung Association.
"Now the vast majority of people who get TB can be cured
within a few months."
Over the last 80 years, the nationwide American Lung Association
has granted millions of dollars to scientific studies that have
formed the basis for new treatments and helped further our understanding
of lung disease and ways to prevent it. Since 1985, the association
has invested more than $58 million in lung disease research, funding
more than 2,000 scientists.
Major Discoveries Save Lives
American Lung Association-funded researchers have produced major
discoveries over the years, including Mary Ellen Avery, MD, who
helped uncover the importance of surfactant in the lungs, which
led to a dramatic rise in the survival of premature babies, and
Michael Iannuzzi, MD, who helped discover the cystic fibrosis
gene. The often fatal lung disease affects 30,000 Americans and
is the result of a defective gene that causes the body to produce
abnormally thick mucus, which clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening
lung infections.
Today, with asthma rates rising in epidemic proportions and no
cure in sight for lung diseases like asthma, emphysema and lung
cancer, the American Lung Association of California is finding
new ways to raise awareness about the need for more lung disease
research and new avenues for raising additional funds. Through
statewide legislation, the association secured a spot on the 2003
California state income tax return.
The Asthma and Lung Disease Research Fund is located under Contributions
on the state tax form and supports the American Lung Association
of California's research program. Taxpayers just need to write
in their donation amount and add it to their tax payments or deduct
it from their refunds.
"Research has always been a cornerstone of the organization.
From treatment plans to public policy agendas, the American Lung
Association makes decisions based on scientific research,"
Dr. Koerner says. "For example, when the research showed
that secondhand smoke is harmful, we were able to secure policies
to protect people from tobacco smoke based on sound science. As
we move through the next century, continuing and even intensifying
our research efforts will be imperative."
California Program Funds Important Studies
The American Lung Association of California launched its research
program in 1958. The association funds basic research and in the
last decade alone nearly $5 million has been granted to scientists
in California.
"Basic research allows us to better understand the underlying
mechanisms that control our respiratory system," says Roslyn
Bienenstock, RRT, MPH, former chief respiratory therapist at the
Children's Hospital at Stanford and chair of the American Lung
Association of California's Research Administrative Committee.
"Discoveries made today could someday lead to a cure for
lung diseases such as asthma and lung cancer."
The American Lung Association of California currently awards
research grants in three categories representing various stages
in an investigator's career. Research Training Fellowships are
for researchers in training, while Research Grants and Clinical
Research Grants are for new investigators who are not yet established.
These grants often provide the "seed" money young investigators
need to attract additional funding.
This year the association funded 21 projects, which range from
clinical research on the effects of inhaled corticosteroids on
small airway inflammation in asthma to basic research on the molecular
mechanisms underlying lung development, asthma, pulmonary edema,
primary pulmonary hypertension, mucus production and lung cancer.
"Basic research is an important investment," Bienenstock
says. "Understanding the mechanisms of disease takes hundreds
of hours in the laboratory, but it is absolutely necessary if
we want to help people with lung disease lead more quality lives
through better treatments and ultimately reach our goal of a world
free of lung disease."
Centers Focus on Asthma
Research has led to important discoveries that have helped people
with asthma better manage their lung disease through more effective
treatments that actually control inflammation. However, despite
significant advances in understanding the underlying mechanisms
of asthma, the lung disease continues to be a serious public health
problem that affects more than 20 million Americans.
The American Lung Association launched a major public health
initiative in 2000 when it funded a network of 19 Asthma Clinical
Research Centers around the country to conduct large clinical
trials that will have a direct impact on patient care and asthma
treatment. In the last five years, the American Lung Association
has invested nearly $10 million in the Asthma Clinical Research
Centers, which is the nation's largest not-for-profit network
of clinical research centers dedicated to asthma. Like other research
funding, the network has also attracted additional monies from
outside sources totaling more than $17 million for asthma research.
Clinical trials are expensive and require a large number of participants.
The Asthma Center network creates a framework for clinical research
using the joint resources of all the centers and has attracted
some of the best asthma investigators from across the globe.
The results from the first research study have already been
released. It examined whether the influenza vaccine is safe for
people with asthma and concluded that flu vaccinations are indeed
safe and should be administered. The findings have important public
health implications because in California alone, flu vaccinations
could reduce pediatric hospitalizations for asthma by more than
6,800 each year.
More Research Needed
As the American Lung Association takes on the challenges of
the next century, research will be even more vital to accomplishing
its mission to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. Despite
important advances, there still is no cure for lung diseases like
asthma, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),
and lung cancer. Yet these diseases are taking their toll.
Asthma rates have nearly doubled in the last 20 years. An estimated
$9.4 billion is spent each year on direct medical costs for treating
asthma, which is the leading cause of school absenteeism. COPD
and other respiratory illnesses are also on the rise.
An estimated 4.2 million Californians have been diagnosed with
lung disease and 40,000 of them will die this year because of
it.
"If we really want to achieve our goal of a world free
from lung disease, it's going to require some incredible science
to achieve that," Koerner says. "Research is the only
way we will ever eliminate lung disease and stop the suffering
it causes."
|