Blood single-cell RNA profiling of interstitial lung diseases

Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are debilitating disorders that cause patients to slowly lose their lung function, resulting in shortness of breath, limited capacity for movement, and subsequent death. Over 15,000 Canadians currently suffer from some form of ILD, yet not all of them receive proper therapy, partly due to difficulties in identifying the precise ILD subtype. This is especially problematic for patients with a specific form of ILD called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), as effective drug treatments for other subtypes of ILD can worsen outcomes for patients with IPF. Unfortunately, diagnosing ILDs is difficult due to frequently nonspecific test results – patients currently experience up to a 55% rate of misdiagnosis. To address the need for better ILD diagnosis, the goal of this project is to identify cellular markers that are able to accurately identify specific subtypes of ILD.

Faculty Supervisor:

Scott J. Tebbutt

Student:

Partner:

PROOF Centre of Excellence

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: