$400,623 Awarded for U of S Lung Research
Posted December 11, 2002
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 11, 2002 2002-12-05-OTHER
$400,623 Awarded for U of S Lung Research
Nine University of Saskatchewan researchers have received a total of
$400,623 from the Lung Association of Saskatchewan (LAS) to study asthma and
other lung diseases.
Asthma kills approximately 20 children and 450 adults every year, according
to the Lung Association.
Donna Rennie, a U of S nursing professor and Institute of Agricultural,
Rural and Environmental Health researcher, and her team will receive $60,000
over two years to study children's asthma rates in Estevan. In a previous
Estevan study, her team found an asthma prevalence of 21 per cent -- twice
the rate found in similar Saskatchewan populations.
"We will be going into homes to study potential asthma-causing factors, such
as dust, endotoxins, and mold," said Rennie, who now hopes to identify the
reason for high asthma rates.
"We are still at the investigative phase, but our goal is to unravel the
relationship between the child's micro-environment and his or her ability to
breathe."
The team includes five researchers from the institute, the Western College
of Veterinary Medicine on campus, the Division of Respiratory Medicine in
the U of S College of Medicine, and the University of Alberta's Department
of Public Health.
Asthma is a chronic lung condition with episodes of difficult breathing.
Narrowing and obstruction of the airways can be triggered by allergens such
as molds, pollens, animal dander, tobacco smoke, or something as simple as a
change in air temperature and humidity.
Other U of S researchers awarded grants:
- Peter Bretscher (Microbiology) -- core funding for the Research Centre for
the Elimination of Tuberculosis
- Darcy Marciniuk with Robert Skromo (both in Respiratory Medicine) -- will
examine the validity of various methods used to evaluate respiratory system
function and capacity during exercise in patients with chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Baljit Singh (Veterinary Biomedical Sciences) -- using rat lung cells,
will assess the cellular and molecular mechanisms of lung dysfunction
associated with humans working in swine barns
- Robert Skromo with Darcy Marciniuk (Respiratory Medicine) -- will
investigate the effect of continuous positive airway pressure on the
exercise performance of patients with obstructive sleep apnea
As part of the same initiative, five research professorships and one
clinical research fellowship have been awarded.
Marciniuk and physical therapist Suzanne Shepard have also jointly received
$36,000 to support pulmonary rehabilitation and research in Saskatoon.
"Research done with this funding creates a tremendous spin-off benefit that
provides both excellent teaching and improved patient care to the province,"
said LAS President and CEO Brian Graham.
Further details are available at: www.sk.lung.ca
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For more information, contact:
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications Officer
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2506
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
Brian Graham
President, Lung Association of Saskatchewan
(306) 343-9511
brian.graham@sk.lung.ca
