About our research group/lab
Our research
What is the overall aim?
This group aims to determine the prevalence and incidence of respiratory symptoms (e.g. chronic cough), lung function impairment (obstructive and/or restrictive) and common respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in middle-aged and older adults.
What type of research do you focus on in this group?
In addition, we investigate risk factors - encompassing genetic susceptibility, environmental exposures and life style factors - for respiratory symptoms and diseases, calculate the lifetime risk and develop genetic risk scores. Lastly, we aim to elucidate the heterogeneity and the pathogenesis of asthma and COPD as well as the acute exacerbations (i.e. attacks) of these chronic airway diseases in order to delineate novel therapeutic targets and preventive strategies.
Our projects
Key Publications
- Loth DW, Artigas MS, Gharib SA, et al. Genome-wide association analysis identifies six new loci associated with forced vital capacity. Nat Genet 2014;46:669-77
- Rabe KF, Nair P, Brusselle G, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Dupilumab in Glucocorticoid-Dependent Severe Asthma. New England Journal of Medicine 2018;378:2475-85
- Arfan Ikram M, Brusselle, GGO, Sarwa Darwish Murad, van Duijn CM, Franco OH, Goedegebure A, Klaver CCW, Nijsten TEC, Peeters RP, Stricker BH, Tiemeier H, Uitterlinden AG, Vernooij MW, Hofman A. The Rotterdam Study: 2018 update on objectives, design and main results. Eur J Epidemiol 2017 32:807-850
- Brusselle GG, Maes T, Bracke KR. Eosinophils in the Spotlight: Eosinophilic airway inflammation in nonallergic asthma. Nat Med 2013;19:977-9
- Hobbs BD, de Jong K, Lamontagne M, et al. Genetic loci associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap with loci for lung function and pulmonary fibrosis. Nat Genet 2017;49:426-32.
