The Role of Apoptosis and Macrophage Function in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

慢性阻塞性肺疾病(COPD)是一种复杂的慢性肺部疾病，主要由吸烟引起。慢性阻塞性肺病非常常见，在我们的社区中导致大量的虚弱和死亡。慢性阻塞性肺病还与肺癌和心血管疾病的风险增加有关。据估计，澳大利亚人每年在与健康相关的费用上至少要花费8亿美元。尽管它很重要，但对COPD是如何发展的了解有限，治疗选择也有限。我们已经在COPD患者的呼吸道中发现了大量死亡细胞，我们相信这些细胞在疾病的起因和/或发展中发挥了关键作用。该项目将确定细胞死亡率的增加是COPD过程的结果还是疾病实际原因的一部分。这一知识将使我们能够解决预测目前和以前吸烟者患COPD风险的迫切需要。从健康对照、无COPD的现任吸烟者和患有COPD的现任吸烟者的肺部获得的细胞将被研究。目前的COPD治疗方法对这些细胞的影响以及测试新的治疗方法也将被研究，特别是对细胞死亡的影响。通过这种方式，我们希望找到新的治疗方法来改善COPD患者的健康和福祉。

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex, chronic disease of the lungs principally caused by cigarette smoking. COPD is very common and causes a great deal of debility and mortality in our community. COPD is also linked to an increased risk of lung cancer and carviovascular disease. It is estimated to cost Australians at least $800 million dollars per year in health related costs. Despite its importance, there is a limited understanding of how COPD develops and treatment options are limited. We have identified large numbers of dying cells in the airways of people with COPD and we believe that these play a critical part in the cause and-or progression of the illness. This project will determine whether the increased rates of cell death are the result of the COPD process or part of the actual cause of the disease. This knowledge will enable us to address the urgent need to predict the risk of developing COPD in current and ex- smokers. Cells obtained from the lungs of healthy controls, current- ex smokers without COPD and current- ex smokers with COPD will be studied. The effects of current treatments for COPD on these cells as well as testing novel treatments will also be studied, paying particular attention to the effects on cell death. In this way we hope that new therapies will be identified to improve the health and well-being of those with COPD.