Asthma patients seem to be more prone to viral infections, and NIEHS scientists believe that the cells that line these patients' airways, cause this result by overproducing TGF-beta1, a protein that promotes viral growth. This study seeks participants with and without asthma to contribute airway cell samples.
\nWho Can Participate?
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- Non-asthmatic & mild asthmatic participants 18-60 years of age. Candidates will be screened for eligibility over the phone and scheduled for a screening visit to confirm eligibility for the study. \n
What Is Required?
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- This study involves a screening visit and a study visit. \n
- Participants will be screened with a medical history and physical examination, as well as blood samples and a pulmonary function test. \n
- At the study visit, participants will receive mild anesthetic and have a bronchoscopy, in which researchers insert a bronchoscope through the participant's nose and into the lungs to examine the lungs and collect lung cells. \n
- Participants will be contacted by a research team member 24 to 36 hours after the bronchoscopy to ask about any side effects from the procedure. \n
Who Is Running the Study?
\nThe study is run by physicians at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
\nLead Researcher
\n![\"Stavros](\"/assets/images/img_mobile840649.jpg\")
\n Stavros Garantziotis, M.D.
\n\n garantziotis@niehs.nih.gov \n
Stavros Garantziotis, M.D. is passionate about finding cures for chronic lung disease like asthma, COPD and pulmonary fibrosis. He believes that if we can understand the mechanism of disease development for every individual patient, we can design intelligent and effective treatment with less side effects. Dr. Garantziotis obtained his medical degree at the Albert-Ludwigs-University in Germany. He trained in Internal Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Duke University Medical Center, where he was a faculty member before joining the NIEHS to direct the Clinical Research Unit.
\nResearch Webpage
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- Matrix Biology Group \n
For More Information About This Study
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- Call: 1-855-MYNIEHS (1-855-696-4347) \n
- Email: myniehs@nih.gov \n
- Protocol Number: 11-E-0006 \n
- Study Background and Protocols \n