Grant: Chair: GlaxoSmithKline Partnered

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a term that encompasses a number of diseases such as chronic bronchitis & emphysema, is a progressive inflammatory condition of the lungs predominantly caused by inhalation of ambient pollutants such as cigarette smoke and air pollution. COPD is a worldwide public health problem that has been projected to be the 3rd leading cause of death and 5th leading cause of disability by 2020 worldwide. Recent epidemiological studies have shown that subjects with COPD and asthma taking statins to control high blood cholesterol suffer fewer exacerbations of their lung disease. We have shown that in animal studies, statins reduce lung inflammation caused by exposure to ambient urban air pollutants. Statins are known to have anti-inflammatory properties, and we suspect that these qualities are responsible for the beneficial effect in subjects with inflammatory lung diseases. Here we propose to directly test the effect of these medications on lung inflammation in subjects with COPD. We will target the lung macrophage, one of the pivotal cells in the lung responsible for processing and clearing the inhaled toxins and particles from the lung. We will use novel state-of-the-art technology to explore the effects of statins on lung inflammation in COPD and specifically on lung macrophages. In addition, it has recently been shown that the lung has its own microbiome (bacterial flora) and several studies have shown that this microbiome is closely linked to the inflammatory response in the lung. Here we will also investigate the impact of statin treatment on the lung microbiome of subjects with COPD. New treatments for COPD are urgently needed and these studies will test statin treatment as a new therapeutic approach to impact lung inflammatory pathways in COPD.