Interstitial Lung Disease

Research

While there are many known causes of interstitial lung disease (ILD), the cause in many cases remains unknown and there is no known effective therapy for some forms of the disease.

Experts at the Interstitial Lung Disease Center of Excellence at UCSF Medical Center are at the forefront of research to better understand the causes of interstitial lung disease as well as improve treatments and develop new therapies.

Our research is a collaborative effort among patients, providers and scientists. During your visit, you may be asked if you are interested in participating in research. It is very important to note that participation is completely voluntary and the decision whether or not to participate will not impact your care in any way.

Funding for our research comes from a variety of public and private sources. Our current ongoing research studies include:

• IPFnet Research Studies — Our center is a member of the National Institutes of Health sponsored Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Clinical Research Network (IPFnet). IPFnet includes 11 centers across the United States and was formed to conduct research to improve treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a form of interstitial lung disease. IPFnet began enrollment the summer of 2006. For additional information, please visit the IPFnet website at www.ipfnet.org.
  
  
• Industry-Sponsored Research Studies — Industry-sponsored studies have contributed greatly to our understanding of interstitial lung disease (ILD). We commonly have several industry-sponsored trials for patients with specific forms of ILD. If you meet the criteria for enrollment, your ILD doctor will mention these studies to you. Please ask about these trials when you meet with your doctor.
  
  
• Investigator-Initiated Research Studies — In addition to IPF-net and industry-sponsored research trials, UCSF has a number of interstitial lung disease (ILD) studies initiatived by doctors and researchers that you may be eligible for. To participate, you must allow basic clinical information about yourself and condition, including your age, gender, diagnosis and lung function testing results to be stored in UCSF's ILD clinical database as well as blood or other tissue that is unused for diagnostic purposes to be stored in UCSF's ILD tissue bank. Both of these research projects are highly secure and no potentially identifying information — such as your name, birth date and address — is ever released. Please ask your doctor for more information about these research studies.
  
  

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated May 8, 2007