We are pleased to announce that TLRC early career clinicians Arturo Olivares-Rivera and Dr. Philipp Höger, from the Thoraxklinik Heidelberg, have been awarded €15.000 each by the Alpha Center Deutschland for projects that will contribute to the development of clinical treatment options for alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency.

Both clinician scientists are members of Professor Trudzinski’s working group that investigates treatment options for this inherited genetic condition, which raises your risk for lung disorders later in life. If your body doesn’t produce enough AAT, your lungs are more easily damaged by smoking or other environmental pollutants. This can lead to chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) or bronchiectasis (bronchial tube widening).      

Arturo Olivares-Rivera's project is focused on the clinical and molecular characterisation of patients with severe AAT deficiency, exploring various allelic variants. While Dr. Philipp Höger will conduct a pilot study for the comparison of visual versus fully automated evaluation of bronchiectasis in patients with AAT deficiency.