The overall goal of the Occupational and Immunologic Lung Disease SCOR Program at the University of Iowa is to perform coordinated interdisciplinary research aimed at elucidating the basic mechanisms responsible for the development of these disorders. A related goal of the Occupational and Immunologic Lung Disease SCOR Program is to determine if information obtained from these basic studies improves the care of patients with these disorders. Bronchoalveolar lavage which obtains inflammatory and immune effector cells from the lung is an important technique for both types of studies. Project I (Bronchoalveolar Lavage and Interstitial Lung Disease) is a clinical study which evaluates the clinical use of bronchoalveolar lavage in selected interstitial lung disorders. Projects II-V (II: Local Immune Response at Sites of Disease in Sarcoidosis; III: Transport of Immunoglobulin Proteins in the Lung; IV: Epidemiology and Pulmonary Responses to Organic Dust Exposure; and V: Specific Cellular Mechanisms in a Rat Model of Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis) are basic studies which evaluate the epidemiology and pathophysiology of various occupational and immunologic lung diseases. Acquisition of new information from these studies should enhance our understanding of the pathogenesis and improve our care of patients with these disorders. The five projects in the Occupational and Immunologic Lung Disease SCOR will be supported by two core facilities: an Administrative Core and a Biometry Core.
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