SUMMER 2022
FEATURE STORIES
McDonald Recognized for COPD Cachexia Research by Andy Currie
Merry-Lynn McDonald , Ph . D ., MSc , assistant professor in the UAB Division of Pulmonary , Allergy , and Critical Care Medicine and director of the Integrative ? Omics Program , was named a ? 2022 Rising Star of Research ? by the American Thoracic Society ? s ( ATS ) Assembly on Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology ( RCMB ). Dr . McDonald is a genetic epidemiologist with expertise in the analysis of complex conditions and diseases including COPD cachexia , sarcopenia , and osteoarthritis . Her latest investigations have focused on cachexia ? a condition that involves loss of body weight , muscle wasting , and weakness .
Recognizing that cachexia is common among patients with COPD as well as patients with cancer , she began searching for a shared genetic etiology . Using change in BMI as a proxy for cachexia among cancer and COPD cases , she discovered a variant in the DOCK1 gene is associated with change in BMI among both GI cancer and COPD cases . ? I am deeply honored to receive this award from the Assembly on Respiratory Cell and Microbiology ( RCMB ) Science Assembly Planning Committee of the American Thoracic Society ,? said McDonald . ? I could not have done it without the support of mentors including Dr . Mark Dransfield who nominated me for this award . I am emboldened to continue to make significant findings to help patients suffering from COPD cachexia .?
Originally from Canada , Dr . McDonald received her undergraduate degree from the University of Waterloo , her MSc from the University of Saskatchewan and her Ph . D . from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston , TX . She completed post-doctoral training at Brigham and Women ? s Hospital / Harvard School of Medicine . McDonald was recently awarded her first R01 supporting her research program on genomics of COPD cachexia . ATS RCMB Assembly ? Rising Stars ? are recognized for their outstanding scientific achievement , mentorship , and leadership potential in the field of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology . McDonald received her award on May 15 as part of the ATS 2022 conference in San Francisco , CA , where she presented her research in the ATS Science and Innovation Center .
Plus Usual Care Decreases Asthma Exacerbations Among Black , Latinx Patients
By Andy Currie
Jennifer Trevor , M . D ., associate professor in the UAB Division of Pulmonary , Allergy , and Critical Care Medicine , directs the Severe Asthma Clinic at UAB . In order to provide her patients with access to the latest treatments for asthma , she serves as the Principal Investigator on several Phase III clinical trials .
Trevor recently contributed to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine aimed to reduce severe asthma exacerbations , based on studies in Black and Latinx patient populations .
Efforts to reduce the disproportionate morbidity of Black and Latinx patients with COPD have been mostly unsuccessful , and guideline recommendations have not been based on studies in these populations . In a pragmatic , open-label trial , the research team randomly assigned Black and Latinx adults with moderate-to-severe asthma to use a patient-activated , reliever-triggered inhaled glucocorticoid strategy plus usual care or to continue usual care . Participants had one instructional visit followed by 15 monthly questionnaires .
The trial ? s primary endpoint was the annualized rate of severe asthma exacerbations . Secondary end points included monthly asthma control as measured with the Asthma Control Test , quality of life as measured with the Asthma Symptom Utility
Index , and participant-reported missed days of work , school , or usual activities . Safety was also assessed .
Among Black and Latinx adults with moderate-to-severe asthma , provision of an inhaled glucocorticoid and one-time instruction on its use , added to usual care , led to a lower rate of severe asthma exacerbations . This presents an alternative approach to single maintenance and reliever therapy for U . S . prescribers .
PULMONARY , ALLERGY , AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE