February 2024
WE BE’LUNG’ TOGETHER EVENT
You are invited to our event on Valentine’s Day to enjoy a specialty coffee, donuts & sweet treats at The Lundquist Institute. We are partnering with the Cardiology department to highlight the clinical trials on which we work together. Spend time with our researchers and doctors to learn more about how you can benefit from our clinical trials & new CT scanner. RSVP HERE.
RRC MEMBER OF THE MONTH
Dr. Carrie Ferguson is an Investigator at the Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and technical co-director of the cardiopulmonary exercise testing core laboratory. She obtained her PhD. in exercise physiology from the University of Leeds, UK. Dr. Ferguson’s research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of exercise intolerance with the aim of developing effective strategies to ameliorate exercise limitations and improve exercise performance, particularly in those with chronic disease. This includes application of novel CPET techniques, developed at The Lundquist Institute, to measure how muscle strength and fatigue contribute to exercise limitation. Carrie was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland and as a proud Scot one of her favorite hobbies is supporting the Scottish National Rugby team playing in the Six Nations. Dr. Ferguson tries to attend games whenever she can to support the team with her Dad and brother.
TRAINEE RESARCH SYMPOSIUM
We are very excited to announce the 2nd Annual Trainee Research Symposium at The Lundquist. This event aims to showcase the diverse exciting research projects undertaken by Lundquist trainees, offers a unique opportunity to connect with fellow trainee researchers and foster connections among different departments. The symposium will be hosted at the MRL building in the Lundquist Institute from 3:30-6:30 pm on Friday, 23rd February 2024. The event will start with an oral presentation by our newly joined investigator, Dr. Nicholas Jendzjowsky, followed by ~2h poster presentations. The top six poster presentations will be awarded with prizes. Jeff Moore, M.S., Michele Girardi, Ph.D., and Chiara Gattoni, Ph.D. will be presenting.
COPD BIOMARKERS QUALIFICATION CONSORTIUM REPORTS ON EXERCISE ENDURANCE
The COPD Biomarkers Qualification Consortium (CBQC) is a partnership among the COPD Foundation, academia, and the pharmaceutical industry, formed by the COPD Foundation in 2014. Our own Drs. Casaburi (chair), Porszasz and Rossiter were part of a global team of experts that sought to identify reliable measures of physical function in COPD that were not previously recognized by the FDA, and therefore hampering drug development. In an ~10 year project, encompassing data from almost >5,500 participants, the team showed that constant work rate cycle endurance time is a valid and reliable measurement in COPD patients, which responds well to treatments, such as inhaler therapies or pulmonary rehabilitation. Inhaler studies led to greater increases in exercise endurance in COPD patients with more severe airflow limitation, but, excitingly, exercise training was of greater benefit, and was equally effective across all severities of lung disease. It is hoped that these findings may lead identification of more therapies to improve the capacity for physical function in COPD. Read the full paper here.
RECOVER-VITAL
RECOVER-VITAL is studying a possible treatment for people who have Long COVID. We want to learn if a study drug can reduce ongoing symptoms from the virus that causes COVID. With your help, we can better understand why and how Long COVID affects people in different ways. WHAT IS LONG COVID? Long COVID is when a person is sick months after getting COVID. Symptoms can include trouble breathing, a cough, feeling weak and tired, and problems with certain organs, such as the heart or kidneys.
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