Welcome to The Respiratory Report

In the ever-evolving landscape of respiratory health, a diverse range of research initiatives are shedding light on complex conditions that impact breathing and overall quality of life. As is ever the mission of HCPLive to keep up with as much of said research as we can, sometimes it is best to defer to the experts when it comes to reporting.

Welcome to The Respiratory Report, a new quarterly newsletter from HCPLive featuring updates from pulmonary investigators supported by the American Lung Association Research Institute. In each issue of The Respiratory Report—available both at HCPLive.com and through our email newsletter list—you will get a look into the development of practice-changing research, courtesy of the experts leading the research themselves.

Each issue will include written articles as well as video interviews with investigators on a diverse array of topics—from asthma and COPD, to rare interstitial diseases and respiratory viruses. Similarly to Lungcast—a fellow offering courtesy of HCPLive and the American Lung Association—The Respiratory Report aims to cover as broad a spectrum as possible in pulmonology medicine, from diagnostics to public health interventions.

Here's a preview of the authors and their research featured in our first issue.

Roy Morello, PhD, a professor in the department of physiology & cell biology, orthopedic surgery, and pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, shares his team’s research into osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a rare disease caused by type I collagen mutations, traditionally known for its impact on bone fragility but also leading to respiratory issues.

The research team is investigating how type I collagen mutations affect lung development and function, revealing that both intrinsic lung changes and skeletal abnormalities play a role in respiratory impairment. By developing new mouse models and using advanced techniques like single-cell RNA sequencing, the study aims to better understand these lung-specific changes and identify new therapeutic targets to improve respiratory outcomes in OI patients.

Read: Elucidating the Role of Type I Collagen Mutations on Respiratory Function in Osteogenesis Imperfecta

Kerri Aronson MD, MS, assistant professor in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at the Joan & Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University, discusses hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), an interstitial lung disease that can lead to poor quality of life due to progressive fibrosis. Her research team is developing a peer-delivered educational intervention to improve disease-specific knowledge and health-related quality of life for patients with HP.

Using patient feedback and structured group sessions, the study has created Reusable Knowledge Objects (RKOs), which provide evidence-based, patient-friendly educational content, now being integrated into a digital health platform for both patients and clinicians.

Read: Improving Patients’ Knowledge About Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis

Georgios Kistios, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine in the division of pulmonary, allergy, critical care and sleep medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, highlights the challenge of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in ICU-admitted patients, especially those on invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) due to severe respiratory failure such as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The LUCID-IMHO study aims to create a microbiome-based diagnostic framework for VAP by analyzing microbial and host interactions in critically ill patients through multi-omic data and rapid sequencing technologies. Interim results show significant findings in dysbiosis across the oral, lung, and gut microbiomes—revealing potential predictive value for clinical outcomes and stressing the need for more targeted use of antibiotics in such patients.

Read: Lung Microbiome Profiling: A Promising Approach to Enhance Diagnostic Precision for Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

Amanda Wilson, PhD, an assistant professor in environmental health sciences at the Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, reviews her team’s work to create a user-friendly tool assisting school health personnel with reducing respiratory viral infections in classrooms. The team developed a prototype risk calculator, allowing users to estimate infection risks based on factors like classroom size and air circulation. Feedback from schools and health staff is being used to refine the tool.

Future efforts will focus on testing the tool's effectiveness and expanding its use across different schools. The ultimate goal is to protect students, especially those with asthma, from viral outbreaks.

Read: Helping Schools Calculate Respiratory Infection Risk

In The Respiratory Report, you will find something similar to what this first quartet of featured authors provided: a multifaceted package of perspectives on the innovations and solutions pushing pulmonology ever forward. We hope you enjoy our latest series.