Carl and Hazel Felt Laboratory for Pulmonary Research

Established in 1988, the mission of the Carl and Hazel Felt Laboratory for Pulmonary Research is to advance the understanding of asthma and chronic bronchitis/COPD pathogenesis, including the study of new and current therapies. We hope to accomplish these goals by studying people with asthma and COPD to learn how the airway inflammation begins, continues and responds to therapy. We are endeavoring to apply the concepts learned at the bench to patient care, in hopes of improving asthma and COPD therapy and ultimately quality of life.

Asthma Clinical Research Network (ACRN)

Our research group is a select part of a multi-center network, called Asthma Clinical Research Network (ACRN), which is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the NIH. ACRN is dedicated to conducting well-designed clinical trials for rapid evaluation of new and existing therapeutic approaches for asthma and for dissemination of laboratory and clinical findings to the healthcare community.

Bacterial Infection and Asthma

Infection with mycoplasma species, particularly Mycoplasma pneumoniae, is known to exacerbate asthma. However using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we are finding evidence of chronic M. pneumoniae presence in the airways, and finding improvement in our subjects' asthma after treatment with the antibiotic clarithromycin. To further explore results of our study, we are developing future studies focusing on effects of antibiotics and corticosteroids on M. pneumoniae.

Steroid Resistance and Asthma

One of the common treatments for asthma is corticosteroids. These medications usually reduce airway inflammation and improve asthma control. However, there are many asthmatics who have little to no improvement with corticosteroids. We are investigating the mechanisms involved in this varied response to medication.

Obesity and Airway Disease

Evidence has been accruing suggesting obesity as a risk factor for asthma. We are currently examining the effects of body mass index (BMI) on lung function and treatment response in asthma and other lung diseases.

COPD/Chronic Bronchitis

We are conducting a clinical trial looking at the effect of an anticholesterol medication in people with COPD.

Bronchoscopy

Our research group specializes in utilizing bronchoscopy for some of our research studies. Using this fiberoptic scope allows for direct evaluation and collection of small samples from the airways. In the laboratory, these samples can be analyzed and the results used to explore asthma biology and response to therapy.

Contact Information: 
If you are interested in our studies, contact us at:
303-398-1443
martinlab@njhealth.org