Interstitial and Inflammatory Lung Disease

UCL Respiratory conducts world leading fundamental and translational research into inflammatory respiratory disease and tissue fibrosis related to interstitial lung diseases (ILD).

Repurposed drug improves outcomes in severe COVID-19 pneumonia

A drug commonly used to treat cystic fibrosis improved outcomes for patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and could be used to treat other respiratory infections, according to clinical trial results from researchers at UCL, UCLH and the Francis Crick Institute.

Breathing mask hung in a hospital setting

Principal Investigators

Professor Rachel Chambers

Professor Ashley Groves

Dr Joe Jacob

Professor Joanna Porter

Interstitial lung diseases (ILD)

Interstitial lung diseases (ILD) and inflammatory lung disease are a diverse range of lung disorders that damage the lung interstitium, often related to chronic inflammation and progressive fibrosis. UCL Respiratory is a leading UK and international centre investigating the pathogenesis and management of ILD. We work closely with University College London Hospitals Trust, where Joanna Porter leads an NHS regional subspecialty centre caring for ILD patients.

Our research aims to unravel the signalling and transcriptional programmes underlying the development of acute and chronic lung injury (Rachel Chambers and Joanna Porter), with a particular focus on fibrotic lung disease and acute lung injury. Recent work identifies a critical role for the mTOR signalling hub in mediating the fibrogenic effects of the potent pro-fibrotic cytokine, TGF-β1.

EMINENT

Led by Rachel Chambers, the Experimental Medicine Initiative to Explore New Therapies (EMINENT) consortium is a unique collaborative network that brings together investigators from UCL, Cambridge, Glasgow, Newcastle, Imperial College and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), to conduct experimental medicine studies aimed at enhancing understanding of disease mechanisms and accelerating development of novel therapeutics for patients in under-served disease areas.

A doctor pointing at an x-ray of the lungs on a light screen

Selected publications

Lindeboom RGH, Worlock KB ... Chambers RC, et al (2024). Human SARS-CoV-2 challenge uncovers local and systemic response dynamics. Nature. 2024 Jul; 631(8019): 189-198.
Mehta P, Sanz-Magallón Duque de Estrada B ... Chambers RC, Porter JC, et al (2024). Single-cell analysis of bronchoalveolar cells in inflammatory and fibrotic post-COVID lung disease. Front Immunol. 2024 May 17;15: 1372658.
Selvarajah B, Platé M, Chambers RC (2023). Pulmonary fibrosis: Emerging diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Mol Aspects Med. 2023 Dec;94: 101227.
Wild JM, Porter JC ... Chambers RC, Ho LP, Jacob J, et al (2021). Understanding the burden of interstitial lung disease post-COVID-19: the UK Interstitial Lung Disease-Long COVID Study (UKILD-Long COVID). BMJ Open Respir Res. 2021 Sep;8(1): e001049.

Mehta P, Bunker CB, Ciurtin C, Porter JC, Chambers RC, et al (2021). Chilblain-like acral lesions in long COVID-19: management and implications for understanding microangiopathy. Lancet Infect Dis. 2021 Jul;21(7): 912.
Mehta P, Porter JC, Chambers RC, Isenberg DA, Reddy V (2020). B-cell depletion with rituximab in the COVID-19 pandemic: where do we stand? Lancet Rheumatol. 2020 Oct;2(10):e589-e590.
Mehta P, Porter JC, Manson JJ ... Chambers RC (2020). Therapeutic blockade of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor in COVID-19-associated hyperinflammation: challenges and opportunities. Lancet Respir Med. 2020 Aug;8(8): 822-830.
Thompson BT, Chambers RC, Liu KD (2017). Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2017 Nov 9;377(19):1904-1905.

Facilities

Lung tissue pipeline
COVID cohorts
Functional radiology via PET scanning
Advanced computational analysis of CT lung scans

Funding and Partners

Cystic fibrosis drug trialled to fight inflammation caused by COVID-19

Patients with COVID-19 will be given the cystic fibrosis drug 'Dornase alfa' to determine if it can help improve survival by reducing excess inflammation in the lungs, as part of the COVASE trial co-led by UCL and the Francis Crick Institute. Historic controls will be derived from an existing database of 120 subjects with COVID-19 who have been admitted to UCLH since the beginning of the outbreak.