The Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) research group undertakes research into a range of disease characterised by inflammation or fibrosis of lung tissue.
The commonest of these disorders are:
- idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- sarcoidosis
- hypersensitivity pneumonitis
- ILD associated with connective tissue diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma.
The ILD Unit at Royal Brompton Hospital is the largest of its nature in Europe, with over 8000 patients under active follow up and an average of 1500 new referrals seen every year. It is also a World Association of Sarcoidosis and Granulomatous Disease Centre of Excellence and leads the National Rare Cystic Lung Disease collaborative network.
Current research areas
- Clinical trials of new drugs for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, progressive pulmonary fibrosis and CTD ILD
- Understanding mechanisms underpinning the development of early ILD and interstitial lung abnormalities
- Discovery of new biomarkers for ILD
- Evaluation of the epidemiology of ILD
- Understanding the interaction between the pulmonary vasculature and ILD
- Cough in Pulmonary fibrosis
- Automated image analysis to help diagnose and prognosticate in pulmonary fibrosis
- Embedding adaptive trials in ILD
- Understanding the interaction of the host and environment in pulmonary fibrosis
- Study of the lung microbiome in IPF
- Studies of prognostic evaluation using novel measures of disease severity
- Automated image analysis to help diagnose and prognosticate in pulmonary fibrosis
- Understanding rare lung disease including pulmonary alveolar proteinosis and LAM
- Assessing prednisolone as a treatment for fibrotic Hypersensitivity pneumonitis