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Emphysema is a long-term and devastating lung disease. As it progresses, the body\u2019s own inflammatory enzymes slowly digest and destroy alveoli, the delicate sacs where oxygen from air is transferred to the bloodstream. The damaged alveoli form large holes in lung tissue that impair gas exchange in the rest of the organ, leading to shortness of breath, wheezing, chronic cough, and, eventually, death. According to the American Lung Association, 4.7 million Americans were diagnosed with the disease in 2011, the most recent year for which statistics are available<\/p>\n
In new research, two Boston University researchers have gained insight into the progression of the disease by looking at it with engineers\u2019 eyes. Their work, published in the February 9, 2017, issue of PLOS Computational Biology<\/em><\/a> <\/strong>and funded by the National Institutes of Health<\/a>, suggests how mechanical forces operating on a microscopic scale could help to predict patient survival and quality of life following treatment.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the future, you should be able to optimize treatment for a specific patient,\u201d says B\u00e9la Suki<\/a>, a BU College of Engineering (ENG) professor of biomedical engineering <\/a>and materials science & engineering,<\/a> and corresponding author on the study. \u201cVery few computational studies have been able to address quality of life.\u201d In recent years, a less-invasive treatment called bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (bLVR) has emerged. In this outpatient procedure, a surgeon inserts a bronchoscope into a patient\u2019s diseased lung and releases a sealant, or, alternately, a coiled spring, which collapses the diseased tissue, closing gaps and giving the remaining healthy lung tissue room to expand. Interest in these treatments has heightened recently, as the results of clinical trials like REVOLENS, published in JAMA<\/em> in 2016<\/a>, showed significant improvement for some patients six months after surgery. But no research has explained why the procedures work better in some patients than others.<\/p>\n
\nEmphysema has no cure, and for many years the last-ditch treatment for the disease was an invasive surgery called lung volume reduction, in which a surgeon opens a patient\u2019s chest and removes the diseased, inflamed portions of the lung. The surgery gives the remaining healthy lung tissue room to expand and allows the patient to breathe. But the procedure only works in some people, and the effects vary widely among patients.<\/p>\n
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