Evaluating Repair of Lung Epithelium in COPD Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Bronchial Biopsy Samples

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying the potential of induced pluripotent stem iPS cells to repair damaged bronchial epithelium in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD, smokers without COPD, and non-smoking controls. This experimental study aims to understand how well bronchial epithelium repairs itself using a model grown in airliquid interface cultures and to explore the role of iPS cells in this repair process. The study could lead to new cell-based therapies for COPD, focusing on epigenetic treatments and future in vivo applications. Participants will undergo bronchial fibroscopy, a procedure part of their disease management, during which two additional bronchial biopsies will be collected for the study. Researchers will compare three groupsCOPD patients, smokers without COPD, and healthy non-smokersby examining epithelial repair in cultures with and without iPS cell grafting. The study involves detailed laboratory analyses over several days to assess repair capacity and cellular characteristics. During the study, researchers will evaluate repair capacity using bronchial epithelium models and iPS cells, measuring repair progress, electrical resistance of the epithelium, and the presence of grafted iPS cells. Various cell types will be identified through immunofluorescent labeling and gene expression profiling. The study involves multiple assessments on days 1, 2, 3, and 7, aiming to understand the cellular repair process and confirm whether iPS cells help restore normal epithelium. Participants will be monitored as part of their clinical care during bronchial fibroscopy.

Benefits of Epithelial Repair in COPD by Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS)