Research areas

The PExA method can be used to develop early diagnosis of various respiratory diseases such as COPD, asthma, tuberculosis, cystic fibrosis and lung cancer.

Lung disease is the third leading cause of death worldwide, with more than five million deaths annually 1. Among the most frequent lung diseases are COPD, asthma, lung cancer and tuberculosis – these diseases alone represent about a billion sick patients 2.

World Health Organization (WHO), Fact sheets, ”The top 10 causes of death”.
Business Insights, “The Asthma, COPD & Allergic Rhinitis Market Outlook to 2016”, May 2011.

Indication
Number of patients (globally)

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

617 million patients

Asthma, chronic airway inflammation

343 million patients

Tuberculosis (TB)

8,8 million patients

Lung cancer

1,8 million new patients in 2012

Mechanically ventilated patients (ventilator)

0,5 million patients

Lung transplant patients

32 000 patients

  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

    COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and is a slow-remitting inflammatory disease of the airways and lungs. Most people have the disease in a mild form and live with COPD without having received a diagnosis. Only one in five COPD sufferers has received a diagnosis. Read more: http://www.hjart-lungfonden.se/

  • Asthma

    The word asthma means shortness of breath and asthma is a disease caused by chronically inflamed airways, which means that they are always extra sensitive. When the airways are exposed to irritants or allergens in the air or when food elicits an allergic reaction, the smooth muscles around the airways will spasm and also become inflamed and swollen. Read more: http://www.hjart-lungfonden.se/

  • Tuberculosis

    Tuberculosis, or TB, is a contagious infectious disease that affects the lungs and other organs in humans and animals. In humans it mainly affects the lungs. The disease is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a thin, rod-shaped bacterium. Read more: http://www.hjart-lungfonden.se/

  • Cystic Fibrosis

    Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited disease in which the mucus-producing glands in the body are not working as they should. They produce overly viscous mucus that affects primarily the lungs and gastrointestinal tract, with respiratory problems, lung infections and difficulty to assimilate food as a result. Read more: http://www.socialstyrelsen.se

  • Lung cancer

    The most common symptom of lung cancer is coughing – either a dry cough or sputum with mucus that sometimes contains blood. Many different symptoms can occur in lung cancer. Often the signs of the disease are also common with other lung diseases. Unfortunately, symptoms rarely appear in the early stages of the disease. Read more: https://www.cancerfonden.se/

Respiratory Research Needs

Getting the correct diagnosis as early as possible can be crucial to how serious the disease becomes. A relatively...

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The importance of early diagnostics

By using PExA's instrument, researchers are given the opportunity to study patients’ various conditions in the early stages...

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The search for new biomarkers

PExA's clients consist of lung research centres within the health services, in academia and in pharmaceutical companies, all of whom are currently...

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