Nawroth Lab

Research focus

ERC Starting Grant · 2020

Deciphering the role of biomechanics in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a chronic lung disease caused by polluted air, is the 4th most common cause of death worldwide. Adding to alveolar destruction, patients suffer from debilitating shortness of breath due to obstructed and fibrotic airways. Currently, this mechanical damage is considered a by-product of airway inflammation; rarely, however, do anti-inflammatory treatments slow disease progression. New therapies are urgently needed. Recent studies suggest that mechanical changes are themselves important active drivers of COPD. I developed an innovative 3D human airway disease model (Lung-Chip) and quantitative measurements of tissue mechanics to show that airway…

From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.