Dr. Ronald Crystal to Address National Press Club Event Sponsored by NHLBI;
To Speak on Future of Research and Treatment for Deadly Chronic Lung Disease
NEW YORK (January 18, 2007) — The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has awarded Weill Cornell Medical College a $14.2 million Specialized Centers Of Interdisciplinary Research (SCCOR) grant to fund genetic research in COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). The announcement coincides with the launch of NHLBI's public outreach campaign, "COPD Learn More Breathe Better," at an event today at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Weill Cornell's Dr. Ronald Crystal will make a presentation on the future of COPD research and treatment, including genetic medicine.
"In the next 10 years, genetic research will allow us to revolutionize the prevention and treatment of COPD. We will be able to predict those individuals who are at increased risk of developing COPD, and offer early detection prior to development of symptoms and individualized therapies for those with the disease," says Dr. Crystal, chairman of the Department of Genetic Medicine and Bruce Webster Professor of Internal Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. "Our first step will be to identify the specific genes responsible for susceptibility and resistance to COPD," adds Dr. Crystal, who is also chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Dr. Crystal explains that while smoking is the primary risk factor for COPD, there exists genetic variation between individuals that dictates a range of risk for developing the disease. "Genetic variability is why a one pack-a-day smoker develops COPD, while another person with the same habit never does."
Genetic research in COPD will open the door for new classes of drugs developed to treat patients, and to prevent the disease in genetically susceptible individuals.
More than 12 million adult Americans have physician-diagnosed COPD, with an estimated 12 million more undiagnosed. The disease comprises chronic bronchitis and emphysema — both characterized by obstruction to airflow that interferes with normal breathing. COPD is the 4th leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States.
"We are pleased to announce the SCCOR grants today and also to be introducing our new public education effort on COPD," says Dr. Elizabeth G. Nabel, director of NHLBI. "While we seek to better educate the general public about the signs and symptoms of COPD, we are also committed to conducting basic and clinical research that will help us develop even better methods of diagnosing and treating COPD in the future."
The COPD Learn More Breathe Better campaign, which will roll out throughout 2007, includes targeted print and radio public service announcements (PSAs). The PSAs are supplemented by fact sheets for patients and those at risk, a fact card for health care professionals, a Web site, an educational video and materials to help community-level organizations further educate the public about the signs and symptoms of COPD.
Genetic medicine is a major focus of Weill Cornell's new $1 billion capital campaign, "Discoveries That Make a Difference," launched in October 2006.
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Weill Cornell Medical College
Weill Cornell Medical College — located in New York City — is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine. Weill Cornell, which is a principal academic affiliate of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, offers an innovative curriculum that integrates the teaching of basic and clinical sciences, problem-based learning, office-based preceptorships, and primary care and doctoring courses. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research in such areas as stem cells, genetics and gene therapy, geriatrics, neuroscience, structural biology, cardiovascular medicine, AIDS, obesity, cancer and psychiatry — and continue to delve ever deeper into the molecular basis of disease in an effort to unlock the mysteries behind the human body and the malfunctions that result in serious medical disorders. Weill Cornell Medical College is the birthplace of many medical advances — from the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer to the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., and most recently, the world's first clinical trial for gene therapy for Parkinson's disease. Weill Cornell's Physician Organization includes 650 clinical faculty, who provide the highest quality of care to their patients.
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
Part of the National Institutes of Health, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) plans, conducts, and supports research related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart, blood vessel, lung and blood diseases; and sleep disorders. The Institute also administers national health education campaigns on women and heart disease, healthy weight for children and other topics. NHLBI press releases and other materials are available online at: www.nhlbi.nih.gov.
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