Thanks to the Lung Health Cohort Research Study, the first large-scale lung health study, the American Lung Association strives toward achieving our mission to help transform lung health in the U.S. one step—one person—at a time.
Why is this study so exciting?
#1 – Major Milestone Achieved: Over 2,000 Participants Now Enrolled!
The Lung Health Cohort Research Study, spearheaded by the Lung Association, recently surpassed a significant milestone by enrolling more than 2,000 millennials. This study aims to track the health trajectories of 4,000 healthy adults (aged 25-35 at time of enrollment) over their lifetimes. With enrollment currently at the halfway point, 2,000 more participants are still needed.
#2 – Potential to Transform Lung Health through Proactive Research
Led by Northwestern Medicine scientists, the Lung Health Cohort Research Study leverages the national infrastructure of the Lung Association’s Airways Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) to engage diverse communities and ensure widespread participation. The ACRC Network is the largest non-profit clinical network dedicated to asthma, COPD and airways research. The study will gather information to assess threats to lung health in an ever-changing environment, along with the effects of vaping and e-cigarettes and the emergence of new diseases like COVID-19 and Mpox.
“By identifying early markers of lung disease, including environmental influences and genetic predispositions, the goal is to intercept disease progression before it becomes clinically evident promoting lung health across the lifespan,” explained principal investigator, Ravi Kalhan, MD, MS, Professor of Medicine and Preventive Medicine at Northwestern Medicine. “The Lung Health Cohort Research Study represents a paradigm shift toward enhancing lung health versus reacting to lung disease.”
Co-investigator Mercedes Carnethon, PhD, Northwestern’s Vice Chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine, addressed the need for diversity among participants, “This study may revolutionize how we prevent poor respiratory health outcomes. By studying young adults before they develop lung diseases, our study presents an ideal opportunity to learn how environment, lifestyle and physical factors impact lung health in all populations, but particularly those who have historically faced disparities in all the leading causes of death.”
#3 – Strong Collaborative Support
The long-term study is made possible through a $24.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., joined this ambitious effort in 2021 through generous scientific advancement grant funding. This funding provides supplemental resources to support aspects of the study, such as recruitment and retention, site specific infrastructure and home spirometry (lung function testing).
“Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to advancing respiratory care. Our ongoing support of the American Lung Association and their Lung Health Cohort Research Study underscores the significance of public-private partnerships in driving medical research forward,” said Amy Olson, MD, MSPH, Executive Director, Medical Affairs Strategy Team Lead, Boehringer Ingelheim.
Added Dr. Kalhan, “NHLBI and Boehringer Ingelheim’s endorsement is instrumental to helping us realize our study vision, reflecting a shared commitment to advancing lung health and improving the lives of millions of Americans.”
Looking Ahead
This is not just a study; the Lung Health Cohort Research Study presents an opportunity to be part of research that could redefine how we approach respiratory health.
Adults ages 25 to 35 who are eligible to become participants will go to the selected study site where a healthcare provider will administer tests and a low-dose CT scan, as well as ask several questions. After that initial visit, the participants will share information about their lung health electronically, over the phone or by mail up to four times per year. They will be followed for up to five years to measure their lung function, respiratory symptoms and information such as where they have lived, where and what they did for work, health behaviors and fitness.
“Through additional funding, the hope is to extend the study so that participants can continue to be tracked for several decades,” Dr. Kalhan concluded. “We’re looking to make history.”
You, too, can be a part of history! To learn more and/or keep tabs on the study progress, please visit: Lung.org/lung-study
Blog last updated: January 22, 2025
