Research Partnerships at National Jewish Health

National Jewish Health is home to the world’s most respected interstitial lung disease (ILD) experts who conduct both industry-sponsored and NIH-funded research.

As one of the largest interstitial lung disease referral centers in the United States, we have access to patients, biological samples and animal models that can help solve the mysteries of these complex diseases and improve care for patients who suffer from them.

Ron Balkissoon, MD, MSc, DIH, FRCPC
David A. Beuther, MD, PhD, FCCP
Russell P. Bowler, MD, PhD
Gregory P. Downey, MD, FRCPC
James H. Finigan, MD
Kristen Glisinski, MD
Steven E. Lommatzsch, MD
Vipin Malik, MD
Laurie A. Manka, MD
James K. O'Brien, MD, FACP, FCCP
Irina Petrache, MD
Katherine Rosen, RN, MSN, ANP-C
Howard Saft, MD, MS
Michael D. Schwartz, MD, FCCM
Elaine M. K. Schwartz, MD, FCCP
Jennifer Sederberg, NP
Evan L. Stepp, MD
Ellen Volker, MD, MSPH
Michael E. Wechsler, MD, MMSc
James Woodrow, MD

Find a Doctor

National Jewish Health has one of the largest interstitial lung disease (ILD) programs in the United States. Our clinicians treat more than 1,800 patients a year, who suffer from all types of ILD, including:

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) and other idiopathic interstitial pneumonias
Familial pulmonary fibrosis
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
Connective tissue or autoimmune disease-related pulmonary fibrosis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Scleroderma (systemic sclerosis)
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosis (Lupus)
- Anti-synthetase syndrome and other myositis-associated ILD
Vasculitis
- Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (formerly Wegener’s Syndrome)
- Microscopic polyangiitis
- Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (formerly Churg-Strauss Syndrome)
Brochiolitis syndromes
Sarcoidosis
Common variable immunodeficiency
Eosinophilic lung diseases
Langerhan's cell histiocytosis
Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis
Lymphangioleiomyomatosis
Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis
All other forms of rare diffuse lung disease

Learn more about the ILD Clinical Program

National Jewish Health has a tremendous clinical research program whose investigators seek to systematically advance understanding of interstitial lung disease (ILD), including its epidemiology, natural history, and prognosis. There is particular emphasis on developing or identifying patient-reported outcome measures to assess the impact of pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapeutic interventions on patients, and to broadly assess how living with ILD affects patients’ quality of life.

ILD Biorepository

National Jewish Health has a repository of biological specimens from more than 200 ILD patients seen at National Jewish Health. By cross-referencing these samples with our EMR, we are able to identify highly relevant samples derived from clinical information collected over time, including laboratory testing, symptoms, diagnoses and demographics.

ILD Clinical Trials

National Jewish Health conducts both industry-sponsored and NIH-funded Phase I – Phase IV clinical trials. Our team has extensive experience managing all aspects of clinical trials, including:

Study design
Patient recruitment
Biostatistics
Clinical monitoring
Regulatory compliance

With support from the National Institutes of Health, investigators at National Jewish Health conduct extensive basic research into the mechanisms involved in the development and resolution of lung inflammation and fibrosis.

Interstitial Lung Disease Areas of Interest

Translational studies into the mechanisms that lead to the development of pulmonary fibrosis
Investigation of the mechanism of myofibroblast apoptosis and survival in pulmonary fibrosis
Investigation of signaling mechanisms that control pulmonary fibrosis
Pre-clinical evaluation of novel therapeutic approaches to control pulmonary fibrosis

Interstitial Lung Disease Animal Models

National Jewish investigators use several animal models to study aspects of the development and resolution of pulmonary fibrosis based on well-characterized experimental endpoints that include lung mechanics, histology, fluorescence imaging and biochemical assays.

Intratracheal Models (Single and Multiple Dose)

bleomycin injection to model resolving and sustained pulmonary fibrosis
Intratrachel silica injections to model chronic imflammation associated fibrosis.
Adenoviral-mediated expression of activated TGF-ß to study TGF-ß dependent fibrosis
Hydrochloric acid instillation to model lung inflammation and fibrosis associated with the aspiration of gastic contents

Cell Cultures

National Jewish investigators also have extensive expertise in the study of lung fibroblasts isolated from IPF patients and non-diseased control subject. These studies involved assessment of fibroblast survival, apoptosis, contractile activity and the expression of collagen and other pro-fibrotic markers. An extensive collection of primary lung fibroblasts are available from:

Normal, non-disease donors
IPF patients