Grant: Project Grant

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a life-threatening lung disease. It is a major cause of suffering and death in Canada and places a large burden on our healthcare system. It is estimated by the World Health Organization that COPD will be the third leading cause of death in the world by 2030. Despite this, COPD is among the most overlooked chronic diseases in Canada. Cigarette smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke are the main causes of COPD. Alarmingly, strategies to promote smoking cessation will not improve the burden of COPD over the next decades, as the benefit of decreased smoking rates in recent years is offset by the aging population and high smoking rates in the past. We urgently need better medication for this serious health problem, as current therapies are not very effective and mostly aimed at relieving symptoms. Smokers and patients with COPD suffer from repeated lung infections. The objective of our research is to investigate whether cigarette smoking impairs the ability to fight bacterial infections because of a weakened immune system. To do this, we will investigate immune function in smokers and patients with COPD, as well as experimental models of cigarette smoke exposure. The goal of our research is to understand how smoking damages the immune system and how to rebuild protective immunity against harmful bacteria. To accomplish this goal, we have assembled a team of world experts in clinical research, immunology, microbiology, and virology to tackle this challenging health problem. By pursuing this research, we will gain a better understanding of the harmful effects of cigarette smoke on the immune system. Our goal is to develop novel drugs to restore immune function in patients with COPD. Our experimental approach is innovative, as we aim to prevent infections rather than deal with the often irreversible damage caused by infections.