Research Groups

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Lung Cancer (LC)

We are also interested in investigation the influence of both environmental and genetic factors on the development of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Lung Cancer in . The analysis of the effect of cigarette smoking and decline of the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), combined with SNPs genotyping, studies on genomic aberrations and expression levels of certain genes in defined groups of patients, including patients with COPD; patients with LC; patients with both COPD and LC; and healthy control individuals will identify new molecular markers that would distinguish between the studied groups. Correlation analysis between the epidemiological and molecular markers will determine the risk factors and their combined effect that will serve as a basis for better prophylactics, prognosis and treatment of these diseases, and particularly will define criteria for identifying the COPD patients at risk of lung cancer development.

Clinical Collaborators:

Assoc. Prof. G. Paskalev, MD, PhD, Rector of Medical University – Plovdiv ;

Assoc. Prof. Z. Yankova, MD, PhD,

B. Marinov, MD, Clinic for Pulmonary Diseases, University Hospital “ St. George”;

S. Kurtev, MD,

Assist. Prof. P. Shterev, MD, PhD student,

R. Ivancheva, MD, PhD student, Department of Respiratory Diseases, University Hospital “St. George”;

S. Guenova, MD, Department of Pathoanathomy, University Hospital “St. George”

I. Novakov, MD, Second Surgery Clinic, University Hospital “St. George”.