Boston Early-Onset Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Study

October 22, 2025 updated by: Edwin K. Silverman, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Genetic Epidemiology of Severe, Early-Onset Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often caused by cigarette smoking, but genetic predisposition also influences COPD susceptibility. The purpose of this study is to identify genetic factors that predispose some individuals to develop COPD.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Detailed Description

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is the third leading cause of death in the United States, affects millions of people around the world. COPD, which can include both emphysema and chronic bronchitis, affects the lungs making it very difficult to breathe. Cigarette smoking is the most common risk factor for developing COPD; however, only 15% to 20% of smokers develop COPD in their lifetimes. The onset of COPD also varies greatly from person to person; while some people do not develop respiratory symptoms until later in life, there are others who develop severe COPD at a very early age. Prior research has led to the discovery of the alpha-1 antitrypsin protein deficiency in association with COPD development. This discovery has generated further interest toward studying other genetic factors which may also affect an individual's likelihood of developing COPD. Therefore, the purpose of the Boston Early-Onset COPD study is to gain a better understanding of COPD risk factors in order to establish new possible methods of treatment for people affected by COPD.

For this study we are enrolling individuals affected with severe COPD (52 years old or younger with an FEV1 < 40%) and their family members. Each participant will attend one study visit that involves a respiratory questionnaire, a breathing test, and blood draw. This visit can be completed at the participant's home, in the hospital, or by long distance data collection (phone interview, local breathing tests, and local blood draw with mailed samples), whichever is preferred.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

2000

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
        • Recruiting
        • Brigham and Women's Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Edwin K. Silverman, M.D., Ph.D.
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Dawn L. DeMeo, M.D.
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Craig P. Hersh, M.D.
        • Contact:
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Michael H. Cho, M.D.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Severe, early-onset COPD subjects and their relatives

Description

Inclusion Criteria for Early-Onset COPD Probands:

  • Early onset of COPD in individuals younger than 53 years old
  • Spirometry results that are indicative of severe COPD (FEV1 < 40% predicted)
  • Physician-diagnosed COPD

Exclusion Criteria for Early-Onset COPD Probands:

  • Severe alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
  • Other chronic lung diseases in participants with COPD (except asthma)
  • Pregnant
  • Any previous lung surgery including lung transplant or lung reduction volume surgery (LVRS); unless prior Pulmonary Function Tests are available

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Probands
Severe, early-onset COPD subjects that bring the family into the study
Relatives
Relatives of early-onset COPD probands, including first-degree relatives (parents, siblings, and children), second-degree relatives (aunts, uncles, grandparents, half-siblings), spouses, and other affected individuals.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
No Primary Outcome
Time Frame: Single Visit for approximately two hours to collect study data and samples
Since this is an observational study, there are no primary outcomes
Single Visit for approximately two hours to collect study data and samples

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Collaborators

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Edwin K. Silverman, M.D., Ph.D., Brigham and Women's Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

July 1, 1994

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 6, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 6, 2010

First Posted (Estimated)

August 9, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

October 24, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 22, 2025

Last Verified

October 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 1437
  • U01HL089856 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

For subjects approved for data sharing by our IRB, we will release genome sequencing data through dbGaP.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

dbGaP submission is being performed by TOPMed for eligible subjects. Although TOPMed controls this data release, it typically occurs within six months of data generation.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Approval through dbGaP

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • ANALYTIC_CODE

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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