A team of respiratory scientists from across Canada have been awarded a $2 million CIHR grant to study the role of mucus in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and chronic cough. The Canadian Consortium for understanding the role of airway mucus occlusions in cough, COPD and asthma (CANMuc) will collaborate over a five-year period to better understand how mucus accumulates in the airway and to develop clinical tests for mucus biomarkers aimed at improving treatment.
The CANMuc research team believes that mucus is a significant contributor to clinical symptoms and severity of asthma, COPD, and chronic cough. Yet current strategies for diagnosing and treating these chronic respiratory diseases have focused primarily on assessing lung function and lung inflammation.
According to the research team, mucus blockages are pivotal contributing factors that have been underestimated as treatable traits in chronic lung diseases. These blockages, known as occlusions, arise from the overproduction of mucus and plugging of the airways.
“Our team of clinicians, scientists, and patient partners have identified the lack of biomarkers and standardized tools as the main reasons why mucus blockages are not assessed adequately,” says Dr. Manali Mukherjee, who is leading the CANMuc team from the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health (FIRH), a joint McMaster University-St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton research institute in Hamilton, Ontario.
Dr. Mukherjee (pictured) is an assistant professor of medicine and AstraZeneca Chair in Respiratory Diseases at McMaster University, as well as an affiliate scientist at The Research Institute of St. Joe’s Hamilton.
“Our team has an astute understanding of mucus biology that underlies clinical manifestations of asthma, COPD, and chronic cough that will be critical in our work to develop new clinical tests and standardize biomarkers related to mucus blockages,” says Dr. Mukherjee.
As part of the CIHR’s Team Grants in Lung Health, which addresses current and future threats to lung health, the funding will support the team’s goal to optimize clinical management of these chronic respiratory diseases.
Funding for the project was recently announced by the federal government along with 8 other projects totalling $19.3 million – the largest single investment in lung research in the CIHR’s history.
The CANMuc team is comprised of experts from across Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Manitoba, and British Columbia.
From Hamilton, the CANMuc team includes Dr. Mukherjee as lead investigator, as well as Dr. Parameswaran Nair, Dr. Sarah Svenningsen, Dr. Imran Satia, and Dr. Narayanaswamy Balakrishnan. Additionally, Dr. Terence Ho, Dr. Carmen Venegas-Garrido, and Dr. Boyang Zhang are supporting important aspects of the grant.
“The Airways Diseases Clinical and Research Program has a long and illustrious history at the Firestone Institute,” says Dr. Nair, who directs this program at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. “Established in the early 80s by the late Dr. Freddy Hargreave, this program, along with the research programs of Dr. Paul O’Byrne, Dr. Malcolm Sears, and the late Dr. Mike Newhouse, have made many notable contributions to improve our understanding of asthma and other airway diseases and to provide better care to our patients.”
Scientists at the FIRH are dedicated to increasing our understanding of respiratory health and disease through collaborative basic and clinical investigations to improve patient care. Learn more about the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health at www.firh.ca.
