Basic and Pre-Clinical Research Interests
Investigators in CILR conduct basic and preclinical research employing a variety of approaches including immunology, microbiology, cell biology, biochemistry and molecular biology, pharmacology, and physiology. Our investigators utilize a variety of animal model systems for their research work and collaborate with clinical investigators in the Department of Thoracic Medicine and Surgery. A number of research issues are being addressed -- made possible because of our extensive collaborations with clinical investigators and basic researchers in other Temple research centers, as well as investigators at other institutions. These research issues include:
- Acute lung injury
- Cell death/apoptosis
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
- Cytokines and chemokines
- Cytokine and chemokine receptors
- Dendritic cell biology
- Endothelial cell biology
- Epithelial cell biology
- G protein-coupled receptors
- Inflammation
- Innate and acquired immunity
- Interstitial pulmonary fibrosis
- Lung cancer
- Lung transplantation
- Neutrophil biology
- Monocyte and macrophage biology
- Protein kinase C immunoregulatory activity
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- T cell regulation
Clinical and Translational Research Activities
Multi-Institutional Research Studies
The investigators of CILR collaborate extensively with the clinical investigators of the Department of Thoracic Medicine and Surgery (TMS) at Temple University Hospital. Our research gains substantial benefit from these interactions as they permit us access to research being done with patients of the Temple Lung Center -- which typically runs more than 25 clinical research studies at any given time for patients with COPD, emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, lung cancer, respiratory failure, lung transplantation, and pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Multiple COPD studies are underway at the Temple Lung Center. These include the COPD Gene study, COPD Clinical Research Network, and multiple pharmaceutical and interventional COPD trials. In the NHLBI-sponsored COPD Clinical Research Network, Temple is the highest single center enroller for all three trials.
Collaborations with investigators conducting clinical trails allows for the development of ancillary pre-clinical research activities. These ancillary studies give us access to patient tissues for use in translational research – an active and growing part of our research enterprise. In addition, CILR investigators are also directly involved in their own clinical trials in the areas of COPD and pulmonary fibrosis.