Pitt researchers join American Lung Association’s national research network

Deb Erdley | Friday, April 17, 2020 9:39 a.m.

The University of Pittsburgh’s Emphysema COPD Research Center will participate in two new national lung health studies, including one that focuses on covid-19, as it partners with the American Lung Association’s Airways Clinical Research Centers Network (ACRC).

Long on the forefront of research in asthma and COPD, the network includes 39 research sites across the nation.

New ventures include joining the American Lung Association’s Covid-19 Action Initiative – a $25 million investment addressing covid-19 and emerging respiratory viruses. The project will evaluate the effect of covid-19 on patients with chronic lung disease.

The ACRC also will participate in the Lung Health Cohort — a first-of-its-kind study of millennial lung health with the ultimate goal to stop lung disease before it even starts. In partnership with Northwestern University, the American Lung Association announced a $24.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for a Lung Health Cohort Study of millennials, which will provide the opportunity to examine the effect of environmental exposures, including covid-19, on respiratory health in young people.

“The ACRC includes an impressive bandwidth of experts working together to produce results directly affecting patient care,” said Deborah Brown, chief mission officer, American Lung Association. “Indeed, the ACRC Network positively impacts patients through large patient-focused clinical trials led by some of the best investigators nationwide, and we’re honored to have University of Pittsburgh-Emphysema COPD Research Center join this network.”