Clinical Utility of LIBS Multi-Element Imaging and the IFF Algorithm in Chronic Lung Diseases (PNEUMO-LIBS)

May 12, 2026 updated by: University Hospital, Grenoble

Evaluation of the Clinical Utility of LIBS Multi-Element Imaging and the IFF Algorithm for the Etiological and Medico-Legal Management of Chronic Lung Diseases

PNEUMO-LIBS is a multicenter, non-interventional observational study designed to evaluate whether multi-element tissue imaging by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), combined with an artificial intelligence-based analysis tool called Interesting Features Finder (IFF), may help physicians better understand the possible causes of chronic lung diseases.

The study focuses on adult patients with chronic lung diseases for which a lung biopsy has already been performed as part of routine medical care. These diseases include diffuse interstitial lung diseases, pulmonary granulomatoses such as sarcoidosis, and emphysema, especially when an environmental or occupational exposure is suspected but not clearly demonstrated.

Some chronic lung diseases may be influenced by inhaled mineral or metallic particles, such as silica, aluminum, titanium, or other metals. However, these exposures are often difficult to document at the individual patient level. Standard clinical, radiological, and pathological investigations do not usually provide direct information on the presence and distribution of such elements within lung tissue.

LIBS is an imaging technique that can detect and map chemical elements directly in tissue samples, including archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded biopsy blocks. In this study, lung biopsy samples will be analyzed with LIBS to search for elemental signatures that may be compatible with occupational or environmental exposures. The IFF algorithm will then be used to help interpret the LIBS data and identify rare or unexpected elemental signals.

The study does not require any additional biopsy, blood test, imaging examination, treatment, or hospital visit for participants. It uses tissue samples and medical data already collected during routine care. The results of LIBS and IFF analyses will be presented to the treating physician or investigator, who will complete standardized online questionnaires at three time points: before receiving the LIBS results, after receiving the LIBS report, and after receiving the IFF-assisted interpretation.

The main objective is to assess the perceived clinical utility of LIBS imaging for physicians, particularly regarding etiological understanding, possible occupational disease recognition, and prevention-oriented reasoning. Secondary objectives include assessing the added value of the IFF algorithm and evaluating the feasibility of a centralized multicenter workflow for sample transfer, LIBS analysis, IFF processing, result reporting, and questionnaire completion.

The study aims to include approximately 70 patients across several French hospital centers. Its results may support the development of future diagnostic, occupational health, and environmental medicine approaches, without modifying the medical care of participants during the study.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

70

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 Contact Backup

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult patients with chronic lung diseases, including interstitial lung diseases, pulmonary granulomatoses such as sarcoidosis, and pulmonary emphysema, for whom a lung biopsy sample obtained during routine care is available for LIBS and IFF analysis. Participants may be identified retrospectively or prospectively in participating French hospital centers. Only patients who have not objected to the use of their health data and biological samples for research will be included.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult patient aged 18 years or older.
  • Diagnosis or documented clinical suspicion of chronic lung disease, including interstitial lung disease, pulmonary granulomatosis such as sarcoidosis, or pulmonary emphysema.
  • Availability of a lung tissue biopsy sample obtained during routine medical care and stored as a formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sample.
  • Sufficient medical record information to document the clinical context, occupational or environmental exposure history, smoking status, imaging, pathology reports, and other relevant routine-care data.
  • No documented objection to the secondary use of health data and biological samples for this research.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Documented objection to participation in the study or to the secondary use of health data or biological samples for research.
  • Missing, unavailable, degraded, or technically unusable biopsy sample.
  • Insufficient medical record information to document the clinical context or exposure history.
  • Lung condition outside the scope of the study, such as isolated acute infection, isolated cardiac disease, or primary lung cancer.
  • Patient under legal protection when the applicable legal conditions for non-opposition cannot be fulfilled.

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

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Proportion of Patients With Perceived Added Clinical Value of LIBS Imaging
Time Frame: After Review of the LIBS Report, Up to 1 Month After Inclusion
Proportion of patients for whom the investigator reports that LIBS imaging provides new and clinically useful information in at least one of the following domains: etiological understanding, medico-legal reasoning regarding possible occupational disease recognition, or prevention-oriented recommendations.
After Review of the LIBS Report, Up to 1 Month After Inclusion

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University Hospital, Grenoble

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Vincent BONNETERRE, Chu Grenoble Alpes

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 (Estimated)

July 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 12, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 12, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 19, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 19, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 12, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 38RC26.0001
  • 2026-A00164-47 (Other Identifier: ID RCB)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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