Aims and objectives:

Our vision is to develop state-of-the-art personalized medicine diagnostic and therapeutic treatments for patients with acute and chronic respiratory diseases.

To reach this, we have established several nationwide respiratory medicine research collaborations consisting of highly skilled entities within biomarkers, genetics, epidemiology and clinical trials.

The aim is to perform urgently needed pathophysiological, genetic, epidemiologic and clinical trials in an academic and independent research environment, building on strengths in Danish clinical research as well as biomarkers.

Focus areas:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

• CORTICOP-COP (Eosinophil guided treatment in acute COPD exacerbation): RCT, n=318, finalized 2019.
• TARGET-ABC (Pseudomonas eradication in COPD patients): RCT, n=150. Recruiting
• PROTOCOLD (Procalcitonin guided antibiotics in COPD exacerbations). Published in Int J COPD and Lancet Infections Diseases + Cochrane review.
• PERISCOPE (Medical optimization of COPD patients): RCT: n=800.
• TOB-STOP-COP (Multipoint, differentiated smoking cessation programme for COPD patients): n=560.
• CODEX P (Variable pulmonary arterial pressure in COPD patients – intervention): RCT. N=116.
• HELICOPPTER (IL5-RA for eosinophilic COPD): RCT. N=254. Protocolized.
• Pseudomonas genetics and epigenetics: Ongoing/Recruiting. Expected finalization 2020
• Corticosteroid susceptibility testing using polymorphism analysis. Recruitment finalized. Submit manus 2019.

Copenhagen Unit for Respiratory Epidemiology (CURE)

• Prednisolone long term side effects: Submitted for publication
• Pseudomonas and prognosis (eradication vs. no eradication): Submitted
• Pseudomonas in COPD: Incidence and clinical significance for prognosis: Submitted
• Roflumilast treatment: Long term effect on survival and side effects: Analysis completed
• Beta-lactam antibiotics in COPD exacerbation: effect on prognosis: Ongoing.
• Inhaled corticosteroids in COPD: Effect and side effects of “extrefine” vs. “fine” particles: Ongoing

A Unit of epidemiology around professor Peter Lange.

Interstitial Lung Diseases:

• Early detection of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF): Database study: Finalized. Submitted
• Biomarker study of IPF. Ongoing
• National database for IPF: Ongoing

Complicated Lung Infections + Acute Lung Injury and sepsis

The Cooling And Surviving Septic Shock trial (CASS): Randomized trial, status: Completed – 432 patients.: Published in Lancet Respir Med 2018.

Biomarker studies:

Surfactant protein D, Gelsolin, Kidney Failure/NGAL, Club Cells, Multiplate study, Thromboelastography

Disciplines, methods, tools

1. Trials (RCT)
2. Molecular biology (DNA, RNA, Metabolomics, Proteomics)
3. Epidemiology (Nationwide)
4. Biomarker studies