Strategic Clinical Partnerships
NETT Study
The National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT), supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS), which was formerly known as the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), is the first multi-center clinical trial designed to determine the role, safety, and effectiveness of bilateral lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) in the treatment of emphysema. A secondary objective is to develop criteria for identifying patients who are likely to benefit from the procedure.
COPDGene® Study
The COPDGene® Study is one of the largest studies ever to investigate the underlying genetic factors of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD. At the COPDGene® Study we are looking for answers to why some smokers will develop COPD and others will not. While it has been demonstrated that cigarette smoking can cause COPD, only a minority of smokers develop this debilitating disease thus raising the question of genetic susceptibility. Through the enrollment of over 10,000 individuals, the COPDGene® Study aims to find inherited or genetic factors that make some people more likely than others to develop COPD. With the use of CT scans, COPDGene® also seeks to better classify COPD and understand how the disease may differ from person to person.
ECLIPSE Study
In 2007, GlazxoSmithKline (GSK) launched ECLIPSE, a non-drug study that aims to follow the progression of COPD and identify relevant markers that may help to improve the ability to diagnose COPD, define its severity and predict its progression over time.
The three-year, multi-centre study involves over 2,000 patients aged 40-75, along with 500 'control subjects' such as current smokers, former smokers and those who have never smoked.
SPIROMICS Study
Subpopulations and intermediate outcome measures in COPD study (SPIROMICS) supports the prospective collection and analysis of phenotypic, biomarker, genetic, genomic, and clinical data from subjects with COPD for the purpose of identifying subpopulations and intermediate outcome measures. It is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and is coordinated by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
TIN_CAN
Coastal Health Research Institute Team Grant -- Clinical Imaging competition for their project titled "Thoracic Imaging Network of Canada" (TIN_CAN), which will receive over $2 million over 5 years. Their vision is to develop and implement imaging strategies that will accelerate the understanding and treatment of lung and heart disease caused by smoking and to provide better methods to test new treatments.