The main project’s goal of the “Bronchial remodeling” team is to understand, evaluate and treat remodeling in bronchial obstructive diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or cystic fibrosis (CF). Indeed, these frequent airway diseases are characterized by bronchial obstruction, inflammation and remodeling. This latter involves, according to various diseases, an increased mass of bronchial smooth muscle (BSM), a peri-bronchial fibrosis and a mucous gland hypertrophy. Mechanisms of BSM remodeling are complex and remain largely unknown. Pharmacological treatments are still ineffective on it. Moreover, remodeling has been associated with a poor prognosis, high morbidity, and lung function decline.

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The specific objectives of the 2022-2026 contract are to:

1. Study the interactions between bronchial epithelium and smooth muscle in asthma.
2. Identify the role of circulating fibrocytes as a potential source of myofibroblasts infiltrating distal bronchi of COPD patients.
3. Decipher the relationship between fungal and bacterial lung populations, inflammation, remodeling and indoor environment.
4. Develop new noninvasive tools to explore bronchial remodeling in vivo using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

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This is a translational project which associates physiologists, clinicians, pharmacologist, biologists, mycologists and radiologists in a multidisciplinary approach. This project is related with cohorts of patients and animal models. There are strong interconnections between the team and the clinical investigation center (CIC) from the university hospital of Bordeaux, the FHU "ACRONIM", the bio imaging institute, and various university platforms.

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Prof. Patrick Berger, MD, PhD

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