July 2008
New developments in sputum induction and analysis create new opportunities for early stage respiratory studies. To address the increased research interest, LCG Bioscience has established a new specialist respiratory laboratory.
The new respiratory physiology department offers a comprehensive research capability and will complement and enhance LCG Bioscience's existing expertise in the field of inflammatory biomarkers.
Dr Anthony Priestley , Medical Director at LCG Bioscience comments:
"There are a number of physiological tests of lung function and techniques to induce wheeze and sputum production. Combining these physiological measurements and techniques with our strong biomarker expertise means that we now offer a very comprehensive research facility.
"With our established capability in early phase clinical trials and access to different disease groups our new respiratory laboratory offers us new and exciting opportunities for collaborative research with companies developing new drugs for respiratory conditions".
Respiratory diseases are the commonest reason for GP consultation in the UK. Chronic respiratory diseases and conditions such as Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease place an enormous burden upon the health service. There is a clear demand for improved preventative and ameliorating treatments, and yet investment in respiratory research in the UK has historically been low.
In recent years techniques to induce sputum for laboratory analysis have been validated and this has increased the range of analysis available. Sputum is material coughed up from the lungs. In a clinical environment sputum culture can be used to find the cause of an infection and the antibiotics effective in treating the infection. Examination of respiratory and systemic inflammatory markers in experimental models, both in healthy volunteers or in patients with specific disease, are crucial in evaluating the potential of a drug prior to the conduct of long and costly efficacy studies.
LCG Bioscience uses all these techniques and has onsite laboratories to examine cell type, shape and function and to measure a range of cytokines and proteases in sputum and blood.
Pulmonary function tests, such as the measurement of dynamic lung volumes, are established and frequent outcome measurements in clinical trials. Airway hyperreactivity is also an important assessment and this can be assessed with simple blowing tests repeated at various time points after provocation with specific doses of inhaled substances. Some airway provocants act directly on bronchial smooth muscle and others act indirectly by changing cell permeability and the flux of mediators which cause wheeze.
The new respiratory laboratory offers a unique environment, capable of performing complex investigations within a facility that has been inspected and accredited by the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
LCG Bioscience is a specialist clinical research organisation for exploratory and early phase clinical development. Established in 1993, it performs Phase I and Phase IIa clinical studies and laboratory analysis for all phases. It has particular expertise in studies that require complex clinical procedures, special populations, or surrogate pharmacodynamic endpoints.
LCG Bioscience is an operating division of Bourn Hall Ltd and is located at Bourn Hall, Bourn, Cambridge, CB23 2TN, UK. Tel 01954 717217, www.lcg-bioscience.com
For press enquiries about LCG Bioscience please contact: Rachel Holdsworth/Helen Goldrein, PR consultants, Holdsworth Associates, 01954 202789, rachel@holdsworth-associates.co.uk
