Research Interests

COPD

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a highly prevalent disease affecting 341,047,000 individuals worldwide and representing the fifth leading mortality cause. COPD is characterized by fixed or partly reversible airflow limitation and clinical symptoms such as cough, increase sputum production, wheezing and dyspnea. The origin of COPD is mainly attributed to cigarette smoking, although it has been linked to air pollution, occupational exposure, nutrition and chronic or latent viral infection.


Pathogenesis of COPD can be summarized by cigarette smoke inducing an oxidative stress on epithelial cells and macrophages. The oxygen reactor then triggers an inflammatory pattern through chemokine production by epithelial cells leading to neutrophils, CD8+ T cells, eosinophils and macrophages recruitment. The inflammation pattern is believed to induce structural cells apoptosis and tissue degradation leading to chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

In large and small airways, bronchial mucosa of COPD is characterized by squamous cell metaplasia, loss of epithelial cilia, goblet cell hyperplasia, mucus gland enlargement, smooth muscle hypertrophy and inflammatory cell infiltration.