Research History (Page 2 of 3)
In 1946, a Cardiopulmonary Physiology Laboratory was established,
the first in the Rocky Mountain area and the first in the country in a
chest hospital. The laboratory was primarily devoted to clinical
research, and the heart and lung functions of patients were studied
with detailed thoroughness. The lab received many research grants and
it was one of the first to receive grant money from health insurance
companies, and later from the federal government, for equipment and
staff to do heart catheterizations in the 1950s.
Expanding Basic Research
In 1959, a $1.25 million basic research laboratory building was
completed, and it was considered to be the largest and most modern
laboratory in the world devoted entirely to chest research. This
five-story facility was used for biological research related to TB,
heart disease, asthma and several other lung diseases, and it extended
the hospital’s lab considerably.
Over time, the basic science department centered increasingly on
fundamental science: the exploration of biological mechanisms in order
to enhance an understanding of nature with the hope of ultimate, rather
than immediate, benefits.
By the 1970s, the National Jewish basic science department ranked
with the best departments of biology in the country. It had nine
independent investigators concerned with what makes living organisms
tick. Some of the research related to the diagnosis and treatment of
disease, but most of it did not. Here, as was true elsewhere around the
institution, research was intertwined with the training of the next
generation of researchers through a post-doctoral training program.
Improving Asthma Treatment
By the early 1970s, National Jewish was becoming an exciting place
for asthma research. Because asthma patients were often non-responsive
to treatment, physicians brought to their labs tough research questions
directly related to their patients’ concerns. One notable goal of
researchers was to try to find safer, more effective ways to control
asthma.
During this decade, researchers made significant contributions to
the use of theophylline. They identified ways to individualize asthma
treatment, examined the most appropriate uses of the medication and
determined how theophylline could be used best in combination with
other asthma drugs. These and many more studies at National Jewish laid
some groundwork for current-day asthma treatment.
Merger With National Asthma Center
In 1978, the National Asthma Center, previously called the
Children's Asthma Research Institute and Hospital (CARIH, pronounced
Car-ee), merged with National Jewish Hospital to create the world's
largest inpatient treatment facility for pediatric and adult asthma
patients. Researchers at CARIH had made many notable discoveries,
including the discovery of Immunoglobulin E (IgE), called the “allergy
antibody.” The discovery at last established beyond a doubt that there
is a physical basis for asthma.
NEXT: Research in the 1990s and Beyond
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