Airways Research
The University of Maryland Airways Research Center (UMARC) is an interdisciplinary program focused on the pathogenesis and treatment of diseases of the airways, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The Center comprises the following integrated components:
Please select a topic:
- Airways Research Laboratory
- University of Maryland Aerosol Pharmaceutical Laboratory
- University of Maryland Genomics Core Facility
- University of Maryland Inflammation Research Group
- Cytokine Core Laboratory
- NIH COPD Clinical Research Network
- University of Maryland Physiological Genomics Core Laboratory
Airways Research Laboratory
The Airways Research Laboratory of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, is a state of the art research facility equipped to analyze the physiology, and the cell biological, biochemical, and immune processes in patients with diseases of the airways, and response to therapeutic interventions. The laboratory is capable of phase I - IV pharmaceutical trials.
Additionally, UMARC regularly performs comprehensive pulmonary physiology testing including spirometry, lung volume testing, determination of lung diffusion capacity and bronchoprovocation. Whole lung and segmental allergen challenges are routinely conducted in conjunction with investigational fiberoptic bronchoscopy, bronchoalveolar lavage and endobronchial biopsy. Protocols are in place to perform and analyze induced sputum, and measure and analyze exercise physiology.
Genetic aspects of asthma and COPD can be studied as well. Allergy skin testing and intervenous medication administration are commonly done. Full time research nurses and research coordinators facilitate multiple separate studies involving several hundred study subjects annually. A high level of confidentiality is maintained. Study subjects and normal volunteers are drawn primarily from the community and outpatient clinics at the University of Maryland, allowing us to recruit a diverse or focused subject pool depending on the needs of the study.
In addition, subjects with COPD are recruited from the Baltimore VA Medical Center. We maintain strong collaborative efforts with the Pediatric Divisions of Pulmonary and Allergy, so that the laboratory is a full-service pediatric clinical research laboratory as well. Pediatric studies are directed by Dr. Mary Beth Bollinger, an expert in pediatric asthma, allergy and immunology. We have comfortable facilities for patients who may be with us as long as 12 hours during some research visits. All of our activities are in strict compliance with federal guidelines.
University of Maryland Aerosol Pharmaceutical Laboratory
The University of Maryland Aerosol Pharmaceutical Laboratory of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, directed by Richard Dalby, PharmD, is a comprehensive laboratory completely equipped to design, construct and test pulmonary drug delivery devices.
The laboratory is focused on developing and analyzing pressurized metered dose inhalers, dry powder inhalers and nebulizers, improving existing devices, and developing future delivery platforms.
The laboratory also conducts bioequivalence studies on inhaled products and instrument devices to measure their performance under clinically relevant conditions. In collaboration with the Airways Disease Research Laboratory, the Aerosol Pharmaceutical Laboratory is developing novel ways of optimizing drug delivery to the lung and nose, evaluating the factors that affect the performance of various delivery systems, and developing and testing patient training devices to optimize proper use of these drug delivery devices.
University of Maryland Genomics Core Facility
The University of Maryland Genomics Core Facility supports the genetic analysis of patients with airways diseases using approaches that target candidate genes as well as those that use a genome-wide approach.
These include the identification of polymorphisms that are important in determining disease susceptibility, severity, or response to specific pharmaceutical agents (pharmacogenetics).
University of Maryland Inflammation Research Group
The University of Maryland Genomics Core Facility supports the genetic analysis of patients with airways diseases using approaches that target candidate genes as well as those that use a genome-wide approach.
These include the identification of polymorphisms that are important in determining disease susceptibility, severity, or response to specific pharmaceutical agents (pharmacogenetics).
Cytokine Core Laboratory
The Cytokine Core Laboratory is a core facility at the University of Maryland that has the capability of measuring over 50 human, mouse, and rat cytokines using state-of-the-art ELISA technology and robotics.
NIH COPD Clinical Research Network
We are pleased to announce that our division has recently received notification from the NIH that we were chosen to be one of 7 clinical research sites for the NIH COPD clinical research network. This network will perform multicenter clinical trials on various aspects of COPD. Dr. S Scharf is the PI of this site. The obvious overlap of interests between the UMARC and the clinical research site will strengthen both sites.
University of Maryland Physiological Genomics Core Laboratory
Under the direction of Dr. Ling Chen, the physiological genomics core laboratory was developed to allow cardiopulmonary physiological testing in small animals. This facility permits investigators to determine the physiological outcome of genetic, cellular and biochemical manipulation. The laboratory is able to perform a wide range of in vivo measurements of cardiopulmonary variables in anesthetized and unanesthetized animals. It serves a number of departments within the institution.
Contact Us
To contact the UMARC, please call 410-706-LUNG (5864)
