A Decade of National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Programs Supporting COPD Research and Education

Abstract

The past decade of research in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has seen a new age of understanding both pathogenic mechanisms and clinical manifestations of the disease. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has helped guide this progress with a series of initiatives to stimulate COPD research in various ways. These initiatives were designed to promote a precision medicine approach to treating COPD, one that takes advantage of targeting particular molecular pathways and the individual pathobiologies of the diversity of COPD patients. This review describes the strategic objectives of these initiatives, as well as some of their observed and anticipated outcomes. In addition, we address parallel steps NHLBI has taken to promote COPD awareness among the public. As we look toward the immediate future of COPD research and education, we see a time of great progress in terms of understanding and treatment. Furthermore, while this remains a debilitating and disturbingly prevalent disease, as NHLBI looks even farther ahead, we envision emerging efforts toward COPD prevention.

The Launch of a New COPD Journal

“…The NHLBI has also supported critical multi-center clinical trials such as the COPD Clinical Research Network (CCRN) and the Long-Term Oxygen Treatment Trial (LOTT). 7 An important goal of the JCOPDF is to give a strong voice to the clinical community attempting to manage this disease and to optimally foster interactions between this community and those doing the basic science to better define its pathogenesis and those who are focused on the development of new therapies. Some of the primary challenges of the next decade will be to: 1.…”