SAN JOSE, Calif., May 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) today announced that is has partnered with the American Thoracic Society (ATS), the world's leading professional organization for pulmonary, critical care and sleep physicians, to jointly fund a $100,000, two-year research grant to be awarded in January 2007. The CPF is exhibiting at the ATS meeting in San Diego from May 21-23 at booth " 1545.
The American Thoracic Society/ Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis Partnership Research Award in Pulmonary Fibrosis will be awarded to a U.S.-based investigator working on translational studies in pulmonary fibrosis. The research award will be granted by the ATS Scientific Advisory Committee through a rigorous peer-review application process. The initial deadline for applications is Monday, June 19, 2006.
"The need for improved funding for IPF-related research can only be met through partnerships such as this," said Marvin I. Schwarz, M.D., chairman of the CPF and professor at the James C. Campbell Pulmonary Medicine Department at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. "We are proud to partner with the ATS and pool our resources to make such a grant available. The ATS Research Program has a longstanding record of achievement in funding emerging research in interstitial lung diseases and we are excited to jointly fund new research efforts in pulmonary fibrosis."
"We are very excited about this new opportunity to form a research partnership with the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis," said Thomas R. Martin, M.D., past president of ATS and chair of the ATS Research Program. "By stimulating research in pulmonary fibrosis, our new partnership has great potential to discover new ways to improve the treatment of patients with this disabling disease. Partnerships like this between scientific and patient-oriented organizations bring a new vitality and a heightened sense of urgency to the research process, which is sure to benefit patients."
Potential applicants should submit a letter of intent using the Letter-of- Intent (LOI) application that is downloadable from the ATS website located at http://www.thoracic.org/sections/research/new-research-program.html . Letters of intent should be submitted via the ATS website by 11 p.m. EDT on Monday, June 19, 2006.
About Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
IPF is a lung disorder characterized by a progressive scarring -- known as fibrosis -- and deterioration of the lungs, which slowly robs its victims of their ability to breathe. Approximately 83,000 Americans suffer from IPF, which is the most prevalent of a classification of lung disorders known as interstitial lung diseases (ILD's). There is currently no known cause or cure for IPF, nor is there an FDA-approved treatment. An estimated 31,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. IPF is difficult to diagnose, and an estimated two-thirds of patients die within five years of diagnosis.
About the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis
The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, founded in 2001 to further education, patient support and research efforts for interstitial lung disease, and specifically pulmonary fibrosis. The CPF is governed by the nation's leading pulmonologists, individuals affected by pulmonary fibrosis, medical research professionals and advocacy organizations. With more than 10,000 members nationwide, the CPF is the largest nonprofit organization in the United States dedicated to advocating for those with pulmonary fibrosis. The CPF's nonprofit partners include the American Thoracic Society, the Caring Voice Coalition, the Genetic Alliance, the Mary D. Harris Memorial Foundation, the National Coalition of Autoimmune Patient Groups, the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), The Pulmonary Paper, the Second Wind Lung Transplant Association, and more than 35 leading medical and research centers nationwide. For more information please visit www.coalitionforpf.org or call (888) 222-8541.
The American Thoracic Society
The American Thoracic Society (ATS) is a non-profit, international, professional and scientific society for respiratory, critical care and sleep medicine. The ATS is committed globally to the prevention and treatment of respiratory disease through research, education, patient care and advocacy. The long-range goal of the ATS is to decrease morbidity and mortality from respiratory disorders and life threatening acute illnesses in people of all ages. In keeping with these goals, the American Thoracic Society interacts with both national and international organizations which have similar goals.
For more information, please visit www.thoracic.org.
Coalition for Pulmonary FibrosisCONTACT: Teresa Geiger of Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis,+1-303-521-4080, or tgeiger@coalitionforpf.org; or Brian Kell of AmericanThoracic Society, +1-212-315-6442, or bkell@thoracic.org
