White Paper Review: Research Approaches in the Study of Respiratory Diseases

Across the world, respiratory disease is a leading cause of death, significant burden on public health and major challenge for researchers. Etiology, treatment and prevention vary widely and many common illnesses such as COPD and asthma are under-diagnosed and poorly understood. However, sustained effort and support from governments, research institutions and instrumentation companies worldwide continue to enable research and accelerate discovery.

Data Sciences International’s (DSI) white paper, ‘Research Approaches in the Study of Respiratory Diseases’ provides a high level summary of the common respiratory illnesses, with a focus on the research tools, methods and animal models used to study them.

Respiratory diseases discussed in this white paper include:

  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
  • Asthma
  • Cystic Fibrosis
  • Respiratory Depression
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus
  • Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
  • Mucocilliary Clearance and Dysfunction
  • Pneumonia
  • Tuberculosis
  • Bronchiolitis

For each illness, the white paper provides fundamental background information and notable research references. The paper also discusses the most common physiological endpoints, animal models of interest and key research tools used for respiratory research.

In vivo research tools and methods covered include:

  • Whole body plethysmography to measure endpoints in conscious, unrestrained animals
  • Allay restraint and double chamber plethysmography for non-invasive evaluation of airway mechanics
  • Pulmonary function testing system to measure lung volume and spirometry
  • Resistance and compliance hardware to assess airway resistance, decreased compliance and bronchoconstriction
  • Smoke generator for capturing and delivering direct or indirect cigarette smoke
  • Specialized software for data acquisition, analysis and reporting

This white paper would be most valuable to researchers interested in learning more about how respiratory diseases are studied, what research is currently being done and what technologies are available to help them meet their research objectives.

Combining Cardiovascular

To learn more about how to integrate hemodynamic, respiratory and neurological measurements to study multiple biological systems simultaneously, watch the webinar, Combining Cardiovascular, Respiratory and Neurobehavioral Endpoints for Efficient Study Design