Mechanistic Insights From Bronchoscopy Airway Samples
Who can join
As published by the study on ClinicalTrials.gov. "Not stated" means the study hasn't said — ask the study team.
- Age
- 18 Years to 70 Years
- Sex
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Compensation
- Not stated
Other requirements are listed under Eligibility below. Only the study team can confirm whether you can join.
What to expect
No one can promise a trial will help you personally — that is what the research is trying to find out.
What participation involves
Not stated in the study description — ask the study team about visits and procedures.
- Compensation
- Not stated
- Study-related exams and procedures are typically provided at no cost. This is how many trials work in general — confirm the details for this study with the study team.
- Participants are monitored closely by the research team throughout the study.
- Some participants may receive access to an investigational treatment, which is still being studied.
- Your participation helps researchers learn whether this approach could help future patients.
About this study
In plain language
This study looks at how cells make and release mucus in people with and without asthma. It is for adults ages 18 to 70 and uses airway samples taken during bronchoscopy, a test that looks inside the airways.
The purpose of this study is to examine the mechanisms of asthma. The investigators are comparing the cells of individuals with and without asthma and looking at the roles various parts of the cell play in the production and secretion of mucus.
Compensation is read from the study's own description and may be missing — always confirm with the study team.
Eligibility
Who can join
- Be 18 to 70 years old.
- Be able to give written consent and follow study rules.
- For the group without asthma: have no history of seasonal or nose allergies.
- For the group without asthma: airways must not react strongly to methacholine, a drug used in a breathing test.
- For the asthma group: have a history of asthma and airways that react strongly to methacholine.
- For the asthma group: have used no steroid pills or inhalers for asthma in the past 6 weeks.
Who can't join
- Smoked more than 5 cigarettes in the past year AND last smoked within 8 weeks. A rule for former smokers is listed, but its cutoff is unclear.
- Are pregnant, breastfeeding, or unwilling to use birth control during the study.
- Have a lung disease other than asthma.
- Have had surgery for an esophageal hernia, involving the food pipe.
- Have another illness that the study doctor thinks could make study tests riskier or affect the results.
- Are currently in a trial of an experimental drug.
- Use medicines that are not allowed during the study. Required stop times range from 12 hours to 6 months before joining; steroids must be stopped for 6 weeks.
- Cannot pause certain medicines before tests: aspirin or NSAID pain relievers for 2 days before bronchoscopy; certain quick-relief inhalers for 6–8 hours and allergy medicines called antihistamines for 3 days before visits.
Simplified for readability. The official criteria below are what the study team uses.
Official eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Healthy Controls 1. Male and female subjects between the ages of 18 and 70 years 2. Ability to provide written informed consent and ability to comply with the requirements of the study 3. No hyperreactivity to methacholine (PC20 FEV1 Methacholine \>16 mg/mL) 4. No history of allergic rhinitis/seasonal allergies * Asthmatics 1. Male and female subjects between the ages of 18 and 70 years 2. Ability to provide written informed consent and ability to comply with the requirements of the study 3. History of asthma 4. No use of oral or inhaled corticosteroids for the treatment of asthma during the past 6 weeks 5. Hyperreactivity to methacholine (PC20 FEV1 Methacholine \< 8 mg/ml) Exclusion Criteria: The same exclusion criteria will apply to both Sub-studies. 1. Current smokers, defined by (a) \>5 cigarettes smoked in past 12 months, and (b) ≤ 8 weeks since last time smoking; or former smokers who have a total smoking history * 10 pack-years 2. Pregnant, breastfeeding, or unwilling to practice birth control during participation in the study 3. Subjects with a history of lung disease other than asthma 4. Subjects with a history of prior esophageal hernia surgery 5. Subjects with a history of a medical disease, which in the opinion of the Investigator may put the subject at extra risk from study-related procedures or because the disease may influence the results of the study 6. Current participation in an investigational drug trial Prohibited Medications and Treatments The following medications are prohibited during the study and must be discontinued prior to enrollment for the amount of time specified below. 1. Astemizole: 12 weeks 2. Steroids (oral, inhaled or nasal): 6 weeks 3. Nedocromil sodium, sodium cromoglycate: 4 weeks 4. Long-acting methylxantines: 2 days 5. Short-acting methylxantines: 12 hours 6. Montelukast: 7 days 7. Zafirlukast: 7 days 8. Salmeterol: 2 days 9. Omalizumab: 6 months Medications to be withheld prior to bronchoscopy: Aspirin or Non- steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) for 2 days Medications to be withheld before each clinic visit: Short-acting bronchodilators (e.g. Albuterol) for 6 hours; Short-acting anti- cholinergics (e.g. Atrovent, Combivent) for 8 hours; and antihistamines (e.g. Benadryl, Claritin) for 3 days.
Study sites (1)
CA
- University of California, San Francisco · San Francisco, CA 94143Christine Nguyen, BS · Study contact · 628-233-1233 · christine.nguyen@ucsf.eduMore trials in San Francisco