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。慢性阻塞性肺病是非常常见的，并导致大量的衰弱和死亡在我们的社区。COPD还与肺癌和心血管疾病的风险增加有关。据估计，澳大利亚人每年至少要花费8亿澳元的健康相关费用。尽管其重要性，但对COPD如何发展的了解有限，治疗选择有限。我们已经在COPD患者的气道中发现了大量垂死的细胞，我们相信这些细胞在疾病的病因和/或进展中起着关键作用。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的部分实际原因。这些知识将使我们能够解决预测当前吸烟者和戒烟者患COPD风险的迫切需要。将研究从健康对照、当前未患COPD的吸烟者和当前患有COPD的吸烟者的肺获得的细胞。还将研究目前COPD治疗对这些细胞的影响以及测试新的治疗方法，特别注意对细胞死亡的影响。通过这种方式，我们希望能够找到新的疗法来改善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.