Lung diseases are among the most common chronic diseases worldwide. In the Netherlands, 1.2 million people have either chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma. The GRIAC programme is intended to help all patients breathe freely.
The study of the development, progression, remission, and treatment of lung diseases helps to unravel the underlying mechanisms of airway obstruction, allergies, and airway hyperresponsiveness.
The GRIAC research on obstructive airway and lung diseases is aimed at:
- Identifying risk factors for the development, progression, and remission of disease;
- Identifying disease-related genes, gene pathways, gene functionality, and gene regulation;
- Unravelling the pathophysiology of allergen-, environmental- and smoke-induced disease in humans, animal models, and in vitro cell systems;
- Unravelling the effects of disease-related inflammation on lung function, hyperresponsiveness, and small and large airway remodelling;
- Defining new targets for drug intervention and evaluation of intervention strategies;
- Developing non-invasive or less invasive tools to assess disease severity and treatment effects.
