Find a research study

There are trillions of microbes, such as bacteria, fungi and viruses that live naturally on our bodies and inside us. This is known as our microbiome. It is thought that people with interstitial lung disease (ILD) have a disordered microbiome that is different to those who are healthy.

This study aims to assess the microbiome of the gut and oral cavity in healthy individuals, so that any differences between people with ILD can be found. This may help researchers to identify potential screening tests that could allow for earlier diagnosis, or potential targets for treatments.

Pulmonary rehabilitation is an exercise and education program that is recommended for people with certain chronic respiratory diseases, including pulmonary fibrosis.

Pulmonary rehabilitation classes often run over several weeks or months and can help patients to manage symptoms and cope with the effects of breathlessness on daily living activities. However, participation and completion of pulmonary rehabilitation often faces many different barriers.

The aim of this study is to design a financial incentive scheme to improve pulmonary rehabilitation referral, uptake and completion among people with chronic respiratory conditions and to design a study to investigate this scheme works.

‍

The diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis can often be difficult and lengthy, due to the expertise required. This can leave people with an incorrect diagnosis or waiting a long time to know what is wrong.

The ILDnose study will assess people diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis to see if the eNose technology is accurate and works well. The technology involves looking at the compounds in the air breathed out as potential biomarkers for diagnosis and disease progression

The aim of the study is to see if the new technology can be used to help with diagnosis and determine which type of pulmonary fibrosis someone has.

The European IPF Registry (eurIPFreg) is one of the largest databases in Europe for the long term collection of information about people with IPF. This also includes information collected from other patient groups with different lung diseases, in order to act as comparisons.

The aim of the register if to describe and gain understanding of what happens to people with IPF over time, and if there are any striking points about patient disease journey.

The study is randomised control trial which looks at the effects of a new drug called Zelasudil (RXC007), for people diagnosed with IPF.

Zelasudil targets a point in the lung cells that are involved in cell signalling, which plays a key role in both inflammation and changes in the lung structure that drives disease progression in many fibrotic conditions.

‍The aim of the study is to gain greater understanding about how the body responds to the drug and if it is suitable for people with IPF.‍

Systemic Sclerosis (SSc), also known as scleroderma, is an autoimmune disorder causing inflammation and scarring (fibrosis) that can affect multiple organs. Around 50% of people with SSc develop Interstitial Lung Disease (SSc-ILD).

People with SSc have higher levels of the blood marker Tumor necrosis factor-like cytokine 1A (TL1A), which promotes inflammation and fibrosis. Monoclonal antibodies, like PRA023, bind to TL1A reducing their ability to function in a way that damages the lungs and other organs.

ATHENA-SSc-ILD is a Phase 2 trial of a new drug, PRA023, for people with SSc-ILD. ‍

The study aims to better understand the effect of the drug on the body and see if it reduces inflammation and scarring of the lungs, slowing progression of SSc-ILD.

People affected by idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) currently have limited treatment options to slow the progression of disease. New research studies are needed to gain valuable knowledge about potentially better treatment options.

People with IPF often have acid reflux, which is thought to result in stomach acid potentially reaching the lungs and causing damage. The production of stomach acid can be stopped by medicines called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which can then reduce the symptoms of acid reflux.

The aim of the TIPAL study is to see if IPF progresses at a slower rate when taking PPIs.

This clinical trial is designed to see if a new drug called LTI-03 can help people with IPF.‍

‘The aim is to understand if the study drug is well tolerated and how it affects the body.’

People affected by IPF currently have limited treatment options to slow the progression of disease. New research studies are needed to learn about better treatment options.

This study is a second step research trial involving patients with IPF taking a new drug called Leramistat.

The aim of this study is to see if Leramistat has an effect on lung function for people with IPF.

There are currently limited tests that can predict disease progression for people affected by IPF and limited understanding of what the response to treatment will be like for each individual.

A blood biomarker, called Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) is higher in people that have IPF, compared to those who do not have the disease. Biomarkers are a broad range of measures that capture what is happening in the body at that time point. It is unclear, if blood levels of KL-6 change over time in people with IPF or in response to treatment with antifibrotics.

‍This study aims to monitor blood levels of the blood biomarker over 12 months in people who are newly diagnosed with IPF. This will help to understand if changes are related to treatment with antifibrotics and/or progression of IPF over time.

Although the COVID-19 vaccination program has proven very successful for most people, clinically vulnerable people, including those with pulmonary fibrosis, remain at a higher risk of COVID-19 despite having the vaccinations.  

Antibodies form an important part of the immune response which helps the body to fight infection. There is some evidence that this response to the vaccination is important for how effective the vaccination will be. It is not clear whether this is true in all clinically vulnerable groups and there appears to be variation between individuals with the same condition. There may be other factors that play a role, including other parts of the immune system, other health conditions, particular medicines, or features such as age. ‍

This study aims to investigate which factor or combination of factors predicts an individual’s risk to COVID-19.

The BTS Interstitial Lung Disease Registry is a national project where data for all fibrosing ILD, including IPF and sarcoidosis is collected into an online system. Patient registries are collections of healthcare data which are for people with specific diseases or conditions.

‍The aim is to provide an accessible system for data collection from a large number of patients, in order for different disease outcomes to be investigated. ‍

Such outcomes include: clinical characteristics, the burden of disease, impact on quality of life and the disease course specific to the UK population. The longer term intention of the data collection is to provide quality information to clinicians and patients, thereby improving guidelines and management of disease.

There is currently limited understanding about the experiences of air travel for people living with pulmonary fibrosis and the effect that is has. This study is an online survey about the flight experiences of people living with pulmonary fibrosis.

The study aims to learn how pulmonary fibrosis can impact air-travel, including pre-flight, during the flight and post-flight.

Systemic Sclerosis (SSc), also known as scleroderma, is an autoimmune disorder causing inflammation and scarring (fibrosis) that can affect different organs. Around 50% of people with SSc develop Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) or SSc-ILD.

This study will look to see if a new drug, called belimumab, helps with lung function and if there is any other impact on skin thickening and general symptoms that can impact quality of life.

Some people with pulmonary fibrosis receive a lung transplant. With any transplanted organs, including the lungs, there is a risk of rejection. If this occurs and is not treated, the transplanted organ can become damaged and will stop functioning. It is difficult to know if lung transplant rejection is happening, and people who receive a transplant need frequent tests to detect this.

The SENTINEL study aims to find out if a small patch of skin transplanted at the same time as the lung, from the same donor, can help to detect signs of transplant rejection earlier. This is called a sentinel skin flap. The skin is transplanted to the lower arm and acts as a way to visually check for potential rejection, showing a red rash. Currently, for lung transplants the only way to determine rejection is by doing a biopsy of the lung. It may also help to protect the lung transplant itself from rejection damage.

Pulmonary fibrosis changes over time. Changes are often gradual, but sometimes someone affected by pulmonary fibrosis may experience a sudden change in their symptoms.

At diagnosis, it is not known if the changes will be gradual or faster than expected. There are currently no tests that can predict exacerbations, and the cause is often unclear. This means that there are no specific treatments for these deteriorations.

‍The aim of the study is to ask people to report any deterioration in symptoms, so these can be examined further with tests. This may help to identify specific markers in blood and sputum that can predict exacerbations or identify triggers that have led to deteriorations.

Treatments remain limited for people with pulmonary sarcoidosis. Initial treatment often involves taking corticosteroids which can help to reduce inflammation in the body. Some people are also prescribed immunosuppressant drugs. These treatments aren't always effective and can lead to unwanted side effects. Better and more effective treatments are needed.

The RESOLVE-Lung study is looking at a potential new drug, called namilumab. This drug is a human monoclonal antibody (mAB) that researchers think could help to treat the underlying cause of the disease. It works by stopping one of the key proteins that forms sarcoidosis granulomas. The study aims to find out how the body responds to the drug and if it is effective for helping people with pulmonary sarcoidosis.

This study is finding out how a new drug, CHF10067, might affect people with IPF. The drug is a monoclonal antibody (MAB), which recognises and finds proteins on specific cells and help the immune system. Some patients who take part will be given the study drug and some will not.

The researchers want to learn how the new drug affects the body when it is given to people with IPF.

The study will learn about any side effects of the drug and understand how people respond to it.  

A new drug, called Efzofitimod, has shown potential to help people affected by severe inflammatory lung diseases. The drug works by dampening the immune responses, in the hope that it will resolve inflammation and prevent lung scarring from occurring. Small scale studies in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis have shown a potential beneficial effect, however, this was only in a small number of people.

This study aims to investigate further in a larger group of people, to see if the drug could help people with pulmonary sarcoidosis, and if it has less severe side effects compared to other therapies.