Global

The study Improving outcomes in lung transplantation through establishing a clinical database and biorepository, called Global for short, is led by Dr. Jonathan Singer, Dr. John Greenland, and Dr. Paul Wolters at the UCSF Lung Transplant Program. The purpose of this study is to create a database of information and leftover samples from the medical care from lung transplant recipients. The study looks at participants' clinical information that's already in their medical record, like lung function tests and bronchoscopy results, to track patient's outcomes after transplant. The study also collects left-over samples that are collected during normal medical care and "left-over," like the saline-rinse left over from bronchoscopies, or extra blood from blood-draws. Looking at clinical information and left-over samples allows researchers to study the problems that can happen after lung transplants, like rejection and infection, as well as why lung diseases occur in the first place. Ultimately, this information can help researchers develop understanding and treatments to improve peoples' lives after lung transplantation.

For a list of publications that have been produced from the Global study, please check out our publications page.

Who can participate?

To participate in the study, you must:

• Be in evaluation for a lung transplant at UCSF
  • If you have already received a lung transplant at UCSF, you are still able to enroll in the study
• Be over 18 years of age

What is asked of participants?

The consent form for Participation in the Global study requires no active involvement. As a participant, you will be asked to allow researchers to collect extra tissues and samples that are created as part of your normal medical care. If additional samples are needed, researchers will contact you for permission, and then coordinate with your care team to collect them while you are already receiving normal medical care. You will not have any additional visits or blood draws by participating in the Global Study.

How do I sign up?

The Global study is currently enrolling. All patients over the age of 18 being evaluated for lung transplants at UCSF are eligible to participate. If you are interested in participating, please reach out to research coordinators Rose Kordahl ([email protected]) or Anya Sriram ([email protected]) to learn more.

What has the study accomplished so far?

Over 1000 patients have enrolled in Global since it started over twenty years ago. It is one of the largest and longest running studies of its kind to follow lung transplant patients' health outcomes over time. The data collected for this study has helped lead to the publishing of many research papers advancing the understanding of lung diseases and transplant, which you can read on the publications page of this website. This study hopes to help in the development of treatments for lung diseases, and has already led to the development of a drug to treat Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). As the study continues to publish new research about lung transplants and diseases, we will update the publications. If you would like to learn more about the research that your participation has helped make possible, please feel free to reach out to research coordinators Rose Kordahl ([email protected]) or Anya Sriram ([email protected]) with any questions.