At UI Health, many physicians on our team are doing research to better understand why different people get lung diseases, and if there are new and better ways to treat them. Our patients have the opportunity to be involved in these studies.
But, whether you participate in a study or not, when you are a patient at UI Health, you benefit from the knowledge our physicians gain by conducting this research.
Types of Pulmonary Research
Our overall research goals are to better understand heart and lung health and both cardiovascular and respiratory diseases through the following types of collaborative research:
- Basic science research: Basic research helps doctors better understand what causes a disease and how well current treatments work. This research also helps develop new treatments. It is conducted in laboratories by looking at the cells and the molecular breakdowns of a disease.
- Translational research: Translational research takes scientific discoveries made in the lab and applies it in realistic ways to people. It provides opportunities to take what we learn in more scientific research and make a difference in our own communities.
- Clinical investigation: Clinical investigation is research that directly involves people. It includes testing current and new treatments, procedures, or preventive approaches.
The eventual outcome of these efforts is developing new approaches to care, better ways to diagnose disease in our patients, and new treatment options that haven't yet been discovered. We are working on this every day in order to improve the care and health of all of our patients.
How to Participate in Pulmonary Clinical Trials
Many physicians on our UI Health team are doing research to better understand why different people get lung diseases and if there are new and better ways to treat them. Our patients have opportunities to be involved in these studies and to gain access to experts and new treatment options.
Research and clinical trials may be available for a number of lung diseases, including asthma, allergies, COPD, lung cancer and pulmonary hypertension. Your doctor can help you learn more about studies that might be right for you.