DIAGNOSING CHRONIC PANCREATITIS WITHOUT THE CLASSIC TRIAD DR P BADENHORST.
Novel approaches to diagnosing chronic airway diseases
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Novel approaches to diagnosing chronic airway diseases Some 64 million people suffer from chronic obstruc- tive pulmonary disease and 3 million die of COPD an- nually. Within the next few years, it is expected to become the third most common cause of death in the world. The disease is difficult to identify; in Fin- land it is estimated that a third of sufferers have not been diagnosed. This is partly because of the lack of biomarkers that can identify those at risk and predict disease progression. The results of the research project could therefore have significant market potential. Need for new methods At present, chronic airway diseases are generally diagnosed by measuring lung function, usually by spirometry. This way of recording the volume of air inspired and expired is time-consuming and difficult to perform. Moreover it provides little information about clinical symptoms, prognosis, and responsive- ness to treatment or mortality. Chronic diseases of the airways are some of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality and their incidence is continuing to rise. Intelligent Monitoring is a SalWe programme aimed at discovering a new approach to diagnosing these diseases, to replace the highly inadequate methods currently in use. Research groups at the Universities of Helsinki and Turku are cooperating in the development, along with industrial partners Orion Diagnostica and Medix Biochemica. www.salwe.fi SalWe - Strategic Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation in Health and Well-being
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Transcript of Novel approaches to diagnosing chronic airway diseases
Novel approaches to diagnosing chronic airway diseases
Some 64 million people suffer from chronic obstruc-
tive pulmonary disease and 3 million die of COPD an-
nually. Within the next few years, it is expected to
become the third most common cause of death in
the world. The disease is difficult to identify; in Fin-
land it is estimated that a third of sufferers have not
been diagnosed. This is partly because of the lack of
biomarkers that can identify those at risk and predict
disease progression. The results of the research project
could therefore have significant market potential.
Need for new methodsAt present, chronic airway diseases are generally
diagnosed by measuring lung function, usually by
spirometry. This way of recording the volume of air
inspired and expired is time-consuming and difficult
to perform. Moreover it provides little information
about clinical symptoms, prognosis, and responsive-
ness to treatment or mortality.
Chronic diseases of the airways are some of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality and their incidence is continuing to rise. Intelligent Monitoring is a SalWe programme aimed at discovering a new approach to diagnosing these diseases, to replace the highly inadequate methods currently in use. Research groups at the Universities of Helsinki and Turku are cooperating in the development, along with industrial partners Orion Diagnostica and Medix Biochemica.
www.salwe.fi
SalWe - Strategic Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation in Health and Well-being
The Intelligent Monitoring Programme is seeking new,
sensitive and non-invasive combinations of markers
for diagnosing chronic airway diseases and chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease. These markers are in-
tended for predicting the progression of the disease,
response to treatment, susceptibility to adverse events,
and to mortality.
Strong skills, large cohorts The University of Helsinki and the University of Turku
are participating in the research alongside industrial
partners, Orion Diagnostica and Medix Biochemica.
The researchers and their partners have broad experi-
ence and skills in clinical medicine, as well as access
to large patient cohorts and the opportunity to model
disease symptoms.
“We have put together several suitable patient co-
horts, based on different clinical perspectives, and we
also have numerous high-quality bio-specimens of
sputum, plasma, DNA and lung tissue,” told Professor
Vuokko Kinnula of University of Helsinki in the spring
of 2012. She was the former leader of the project.
“For example, we can use a study at Lapland Central
Hospital in Rovaniemi of 600 smokers, whose health
has been regularly monitored since 2005. These in-
dividuals have a high risk of contracting chronic ob-
structive pulmonary disease.”
The research group also has access to a cohort of
2,400 COPD and asthma sufferers at the university
hospitals of Helsinki and Turku, which illustrates the
advance of the diseases and the effect of treatments.
”One of the most important cohorts that we can use
consists of sufferers of airway diseases who have pro-
vided regular bio-samples during disease exacerbation
and remittance.”
Pioneering researchThe latest results indicate that 15 sputum proteins
are altered by smoking and/or mild COPD. All these
proteins have been identified. The researchers are now
proceeding to study the incidence of the proteins in
large patient cohorts, using commercially available
ELISA methods or similar techniques developed by
Orion Diagnostica and Medix Biochemica.
”We are pioneers in research into airway diseases via
the proteomics of lung tissue and sputum. I believe
we will find specific markers in respiratory organs and
peripheral blood that predict the advance of hetero-
genic airway diseases,” Vuokko Kinnula said.
The aim is to combine these markers into a single
diagnostic platform or kit.
More information
Tarja LaitinenprofessorUniversity of [email protected]+358 50 534 6238
Jouko Haapalahtiprogramme directorIntelligent Monitoring [email protected]+358 440 419 477
SalWe - Strategic Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation in Health and Well-being
