American Lung Association Capitalizes on the Promise of Research

ALBANY, NY (12/01/2011)(readMedia)-- The American Lung Association Nationwide Research Program released its Research Awards Nationwide 2011-2012 report that highlights research supported by the American Lung Association through its Asthma Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) and its Awards and Grants Program.

The American Lung Association Nationwide Research Program funds high quality research with the goal of uncovering effective prevention and treatment strategies as well as cures for lung disease. The Program supports basic, applied and socio-behavioral research related to lung health and is a fundamental part of the Lung Association's mission to improve lung health and prevent lung disease.

Since 2002, a total of twenty six research grants, fellowships and awards have been bestowed upon New York State researchers studying lung disease through the Nationwide Research Program.

"New York State is home to some of the leading hospitals, universities and research facilities in the Nation and we're pleased that research being done here in New York is continuing to help provide us with insight into the lung diseases that afflict more than 2.5 million state residents and 37 million Americans, "said Irwin Berlin, M.D. board chair, American Lung Association in New York. "Continued research into lung disease is essential to discovering the new treatments and cures that will help us fulfill our important mission and save lives."

In 2011-2012, the Lung Association in New York is funding two $80,000 biomedical research grants. One grant will fund research being done by Kelly Hume, D.V.M at Cornell University in Ithaca, which will focus on improving lung cancer's responsiveness to chemotherapy. Her research will study the impact of partial impairment of the DNA damage checkpoint protein Hus1 on the biology and treatment of lung cancer.

The other grant will help David Verhoeven, PhD at Rochester General Hospital answer the question: Why Does Influenza Cause More Severe Illness in Young Children? His project is titled: "Dysregulation of lung inflammation leads to innate response dominance and enhanced morbidity in flu-infected children."

In addition to these most recent grants announced, New York continues to fund biomedical research being conducted by Bouke Catherine De Jong, MD, PhD at New York University who is studying variants of TB to find an effective vaccine. Additionally, Wladimir Labeikovsky, PhD is studying lung diseases of infants and children through a senior research training fellowship at the Rockefeller University.

Medical advances made possible from the research contributions of the Lung Association have helped shed new light on a multitude of devastating lung diseases, touching the lives of millions of Americans. Research provides us all with hope that one day we will live in a world without lung disease.

Research Awards Nationwide 2011-2012 is available and searchable on the American Lung Association web site www.lung.org/research.

About the American Lung Association in New York:

Now in its second century, the American Lung Association in New York is the leading statewide organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. With your generous support, the American Lung Association is "Fighting for Air" through research, education and advocacy. For more information about the Lung Association, a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity Seal Holder, or to support our work, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or visit www.alany.org