July 3, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Lung disease is the third-leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease and cancer and is the leading cause of infant mortality. More than 35 million Americans suffer from lung disease and nearly 350,000 die from it annually. The University of Alabama at Birmingham has established the Pulmonary Injury and Repair Center to promote, support and enhance cutting-edge research on lung biology and help scientific discoveries translate into treatments for patients.

The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees approved the creation of the center at its board meeting June 20.

The center, which will have a number of functions, including establishing the infrastructure necessary to take lung disease research from bench to the bedside and providing funding for pilot research projects, will be directed by Sadis Matalon, Ph.D. Matalon is the Alice McNeal Professor of Anesthesiology and director of research in the division of critical care and perioperative medicine in the department of anesthesiology.

"This center will enhance collaborations among basic and clinical investigators and help us enhance translational research in lung injury and repair," Matalon said. "It will also strengthen existing interactions among researchers from UAB and Southern Research Institute. These interactions will improve our ability to attract new faculty interested in pulmonary research at UAB and to compete for extramural awards."

Matalon said the center will not only be committed to excellence in research but also to community outreach. In partnership with the UAB Lung Health Center, the center will establish a series of lectures and outreach programs to discuss major advances in the treatment of lung disease to the community.

"This is a great opportunity for the public to learn more about new treatments of pulmonary diseases that affect more households than ever before and impact the health and welfare of all segments of the population," Matalon said.