Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of sickness and death in Canada. COPD is diagnosed using measurements of lung disease, and it is a varied disease which likely includes several important subgroups. Definition and identification of this group is essential to be able to best treat these patients. Many COPD patients have symptoms that are much like asthma, and this is known as asthma COPD overlap syndrome. We will identify COPD patients who also have asthma by measuring a blood protein called IgE. We will then compare clinical measurements of COPD patients with and without asthma to see how this group differs. Next we will measure gene expression in COPD patients with and without asthma to better understand the biological processes that are different between these groups. Finally, we will identify genetic variants that are both associated with gene expression and with the development of COPD. This will help us identify genes that are altered in COPD and that are also important for outcome. Ultimately this work will allow us to better characterize the subgroup of COPD patients who also have asthma to be able to better identify and treat them.