Research summary
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic lung disease that causes breathing difficulties, coughing and wheezing. There are treatments available to relieve some of the symptoms and minimize complications, but the disease generally gets worse over time.
As Canada Research Chair in Canada Research Chair in Translational Airway Biology, Dr. Janice Leung is looking for better ways to treat patients with COPD. She and her research team are focusing on the intersection between infection and chronic lung disease, where persistent stimulation by disease-causing microbes and viruses can lead to irreversible airway injuries. By integrating microbiome sequencing with host cellular responses, she and her team are characterizing the relationship between dysbiosis (an imbalance in the lung’s microbial environment) and COPD. Ultimately, they hope to identify new genes and microbial targets that could stop the disease from progressing.