RESEARCH AT THE FIRESTONE INSTITUTE FOR RESPIRATORY HEALTH

FIRH conducts research to increase understanding of respiratory health and disease across the life cycle through collaborative basic and clinical investigations with the expectation of improving patient care.Research within the FIRH is wide-ranging, not only from bench to bedside, but to population health and policy; extending from studies of smooth muscle physiology and intracellular signalling through experimental disease models to clinical trials to enhance patient quality-of-life.

The research productivity of FIRH is attested to by the high quality and impact of the peer reviewed publications. In 2009/2010 FIRH faculty authored 94 peer-reviewed publications, including several in high impact international publications. The research efforts also resulted in FIRH faculty registering 3 patents.

FIRH has 7 basic scientists, 8 clinical scientists and 7 clinicians. In 2009 / 2010, FIRH trained 10 post doctoral fellows, 15 graduate students and numerous project students.

The basic science at FIRH is focussed on animal models of lung disease (asthma, COPD and fibrosis), small animal imaging using PET and SPECT/CT, smooth muscle biology, and bone marrow progenitors in lung inflammation and repair.

Various translational medicine projects on biomarkers are performed, including internationally leading facilities such as the Sputum Research Laboratory, the AllerGen Clinical Investigator Collaborative, and the Aerosol Research Laboratory. FIRH also hosts the coordinating center for the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development Study (CHILD) birth cohort study, and FIRH is a site for many different clinical trials in asthma, COPD and lung fibrosis.

 

FIRH endorses the concept of aligning the scientific vision based on research activities further defined as research themes.

The current core themes at FIRH include: (1) Structure / Function, (2) Immunology / Infection, and (3) Environmental Influence on Lung Health.

The benefits of aligning these activities into themes are both strategic -- pre-existing structural groups are likely to be more successful in applying for group grants -- and operational -- smaller groups with greater shared interest may translate into efficient resource alignments.

These sub-groups are supported by essential core services that include animal quarters, animal models of airway hyperresponsiveness, FACS, pathological analysis functions, administrative coordination and financial management.

The core themes support the overarching vision of FIRH, namely translating advances in mechanistic and pathophysiologic research to improvements in clinical care.

 

Volunteers are need to participate ... are you interested?

Do you have some time to give to help us research breathing problems? Perhaps you know someone who has difficulties, or would like to find out if other treatments are available. Firestone researchers are looking for volunteers to participate in a variety of studies. Some studies provide compensation for your time.

We are currently recruiting people to volunteer to become part of our research volunteer data base. Called PURR at FIRH, the Pulmonary Research Registry (PURR@FIRH) is a Research Ethics Board (REB) approved database which is designed to facilitate patient selection and enrollment into research studies.

St. Joseph's hospital is very serious about research ethics and asked FIRH to develop a process to obtain people's consent before we can ask them to participate in research. We therefore need your permission to contact you about participating in upcoming FIRH studies. We created a confidential database to record those consents.

Participation in the PURR is voluntary and does not include consent to take part in a specific study. By enrolling in the database, held in strict confidence, you give us permission to call you to hear about upcoming studies.

Each time a patient has been found matching the inclusion criteria of a certain study, participation in that study is again voluntary.

PURR is open for everyone -- patients, staff, family, friends of patients and community minded volunteers. You do not need to have a respiratory diagnosis to participate as "healthy volunteer". We need "normals" to compare to others.

Each patient at their scheduled visit at the FIRH clinic has the opportunity to sign up for PURR, giving the research team permission to collect their contact and health information. We have a PURR office right in the clinic to answer your questions and explain the process.

If you are interested in being involved in a clinical trial but don't know who to talk to please feel free to visit the PURR office in the FIrestone clinic or call Dr. Antje Ask 905-522-1155 x32722. Dr. Ask oversees the PURR Project along with Michael Quinn, (Research Manager) at 905 - 522 - 1155 x33140.

Call: 900-522-1155 x32722 or E-Mail: PURR at FIRH

FACEBOOK: Asthmastudy@stjoes.ca (Melanie Kjarsgaard)

Firestone Research Faculty by Area of Interest

Name	Main Research Interests
Martin Stampfli	Airway inflammation; Immune System
Myrna Dolovich	Lung imaging
Paul O’Byrne	Asthma; airway inflammation
Christopher Allen	Chronic cough and GERD
Malcolm Sears	Asthma; epidemiology
Gerard Cox	Pulmonary Fibrosis; asthma
Luke Janssen	Airway smooth muscle function
Neil Johnston	Asthma/ COPD epidemiology
Mark Inman	AHR; airway remodelling
Roma Sehmi	Inflammatory cell progenitors
Parameswaran Nair	Asthma; airway inflammation
Martin Kolb	Pulmonary fibrosis
Renee Labiris	Lung imaging
Andrew McIvor	Asthma/COPD; epidemiology
Mark Larché	Lung immunology
David Todd	COPD

 

 

 

The major strength of FIRH has been and continues to be the focus on improving patient outcomes. This has been accomplished by improved diagnostic acumen, patient monitoring and understanding of the pathobiology of pulmonary diseases resulting in better treatment. This impact is achieved by rapid bench-to-bedside translation of ideas and innovations facilitated by the close proximity of basic researchers to clinical scientists and clinicians in FIRH.

• The scope of research conducted at FIRH includes molecular, cellular, whole animal, patient and population studies.
• FIRH has been successful in translational research, particularly in airway diseases and pulmonary fibrosis
• Weekly back-to-back clinical and research rounds, which include presentations from local, national and international speakers, are well attended and very interactive.
• The research faculty at FIRH are intensely collaborative within St. Joseph’s Hospital, McMaster University, nationally and internationally.
• FIRH has considerable success in competing for peer-reviewed funding, and in collaboration with industry.
• FIRH continues to publish highly influential research papers in excellent peer reviewed journals.
• FIRH faculty are recognized by membership in National and International committees and in frequent presitigious speaking/consulting invitations.

In some areas, FIRH researchers perform or lead investigations that are unique in Canada, examples are:

• Coordinating center for the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) birth cohort study.
• AllerGen Clinical Investigator Collaborative.
• Sputum Research and Clinical Laboratory.
• Aerosol Research Laboratory.
• Small animal imaging using PET and SPECT/CT.
• Studies of bone marrow progenitors in lung inflammation and repair.
• Electrophysiological studies of airway smooth muscle combining mechanical, electrical, and biochemical measures.
• Airway peptide challenges.
• Chronic allergen inhalation and airway remodelling in mice.
• Preclinical models of lung injury and repair.
• Center for biomarkers and clinical trials in pulmonary fibrosis.

Providing leadership and strategic direction for the Firestone Institute in 2009 are; Dr. Paul O’Byrne, Executive Director, Dr. Stewart Pugsley, Clinical Director, and Dr. Martin Kolb, Research Director, replacing Dr. Malcolm Sears who stepped down from his role in April 2009

Members of the FIRH faculty hold important administrative posts locally, including the current Chair of the Department of Medicine at McMaster University, Dr. Paul O’Byrne, the Division Director of Respiratory Medicine, Dr. Gerard Cox, the Program Director for Respiratory Training at McMaster University, Dr. Lori Whitehead , the Principal Investigator for the national Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development Study, Dr. Malcolm Sears and Dr. Mark Inman Scientific Officer for FIRH.

 

Firestone Clinic
St. Joseph's Healthcare
50 Charlton Avenue East
Hamilton, Ontario
Canada L8N 4A6

905.522.1155 x36000

 

Firestone Research
St. Joseph's Healthcare
50 Charlton Avenue East
Hamilton, Ontario
Canada L8N 4A6

905.522.1155 x33140

Michael Quinn

 

McMaster University	Faculty of Health Science	Department of Medicine
Division of Respirology	Research at St. Joseph's	St. Joseph's Healthcare

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