Duke Lung and Heart-Lung Transplant Program remains at the cutting edge of many innovative and exciting research and clinical therapies.

Our internationally recognized physician-scientists strive to advance lung transplant and improve patient outcomes by conducting pioneering clinical, basic, and translational research aimed at developing new treatment strategies. Their leading-edge work, which frequently appears in peer-reviewed publications, continues to advance this specialty, while giving patients opportunities to participate in innovative clinical trials.

For example, our program has led studies that have identified gastric reflux as a potential cause of pulmonary complications and demonstrated that anti-reflux surgery can help maintain and improve lung function in selected patients.

In addition, our group has led the development of innovative strategies to prevent cytomegalovirus, a common infection that occurs after lung transplantation and is associated with impaired lung function.

Duke is also involved in research to:

• Prevent lung injury through environmental exposures that can drive rejection and immunological responses
• Increase the number of donor lungs available through innovative therapies to improve the function of recovered lungs, including ex vivo perfusion
• Prevent infection by investigating and implementing strategies to reduce infectious complications after transplantation
• Reduce the risk of rejection by researching genetic variations that may influence such risks

Current research studies being conducted by the Duke Lung and Heart-Lung Transplant Program are designed to advance our understanding of the causes of acute and chronic rejection.

Read more about current research studies on the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Web site.