The breath of hope
Thanks to the incredible clinician-researchers at St. Paul’s Hospital, people with lung disease in BC – and beyond – can breathe a little easier.
St. Paul’s has outstanding expertise in respiratory medicine, charting a path for the treatment of a variety of lung conditions. Our Centre for Heart Lung Innovation (HLI) is ranked first among Canadian institutions and third worldwide for its expertise in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the leading cause of hospitalization in Canada.
Hope starts with you
We’re translating research discoveries quickly, and offering patients a brighter tomorrow.
Breakthroughs in research are transforming care faster than ever. Every discovery brings us closer to new treatments—and new hope for patients.
Right now, at HLI:
- Dr. Sin is working on a blood test that can predict a breathing crisis before it happens. It could reveal how a patient’s asthma or COPD is progressing. And it could help develop targeted drugs and therapies to treat the unique characteristics of each person’s disease.
- Dr. Alyson Wong is a respirologist at the post-COVID Respiratory Clinic at St. Paul’s. She’s assessing and treating patients, and collaborating with researchers around the world, to identify and prevent the debilitating effects of long COVID.
- Dr. Pat Camp is investigating air quality in First Nations communities in north-central BC and looking for ways to deliver better health services to remote and rural communities via telehealth and wearable devices.
- Dr. Bradley Quon is looking for biomarkers that will help clinicians detect changes in patients with cystic fibrosis to determine the best drugs and the most effective treatment plan.
Your gift is essential in growing our understanding of how to prevent, treat, and recover from lung diseases.
Because of you, we are:
- Developing and implementing new treatments
- Advancing and accelerating world-leading research
- Purchasing life-changing and life-saving equipment
- Improving the quality of life of patients – and saving lives
This is more than medicine – we’re rewriting the future of lung health.
Cystic Fibrosis
Patients with cystic fibrosis who were once unlikely to live to adulthood are now living into their 60s and beyond.
St. Paul’s Hospital is home to the largest adult cystic fibrosis clinic in the province, and your support has led to tremendous breakthroughs in treatment and care.
The new drug Trikafta, trialed at St. Paul’s Hospital, has markedly improved lung function and quality of life in CF patients, as well as reduced hospitalizations. In 2022, it was approved by Health Canada and has continued to enhance thousands of lives.
Dr. Bradley Quon, a leading clinician-scientist and respirologist, is working on:
- Biomarkers that will enable earlier detection of illness, or if a patient is responding well to a particular drug treatment
- Using precision medicine to match drug treatments to patients with rare CF mutations
- Evaluating the impact of Trikafta on mental health, quality of life and work productivity
“If you are not someone who needs these treatments, you can be someone who contributes – and you're changing the lives of so many people. Not only did my life change with Trikafta, but the lives of all the people who love me: my siblings, my mom, my dad, my friends. You can't really put a price on the impact that this has on people's lives.”
Trina Atchison
Trikafta trial participant
Pulmonary fibrosis
Pulmonary fibrosis can be a devastating disease, and you don’t know you have it until it’s too late.
Dr. Chris Ryerson is a world leader in PF research and clinical care – and his team is searching for ways to improve early diagnosis and treatment. Until there’s a cure, this is our best chance to improve the quality of life for people living with PF.
“It’s been a miracle,” says Barbara Deglau of her decade of treatment under Dr. Ryerson’s care. “It’s been such an important part of my life.”
Lung Nodule Clinic
A first-in-BC solution at the forefront of early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer
The Division of Respiratory Medicine at St. Paul’s Hospital is a leader in the evaluation and diagnosis of lung cancer, the primary cause of cancer deaths in the country.
As a referral centre for lung cancer diagnostics, we have expertise in the advanced techniques required for small nodule biopsies, and have multiple respirologists with advanced training in early lung cancer diagnosis.
The Lung Nodule Clinic is a robust collaboration with St. Paul’s Department of Radiology, a world leader in cardiothoracic imaging, improving communication, care, and patient outcomes.
We’re working together to move the needle on early lung cancer diagnosis so patients can be treated quickly – and have peace of mind.
Thanks to donor generosity, the Clinic:
- Reduces wait times and delays between lung nodule identification on CT scans and assessment to increase early intervention
- Improves patient follow-up of radiology findings to reduce number of missed early lung cancers
- Is increasing the number of early and/or curative lung cancer cases vs. late-stage cancer cases
The first year of funding to initiate the Clinic’s operations has been secured, but additional funding is needed to further develop its services.
With you as our partner, we’ll be able to:
- Support clinic systems and operations
- Recruit clinical staff who will manage all aspects of the clinic
- Expand clinical support and nursing staff as an increased number of patients return for follow-up appointments
Life-changing gifts can help reduce lung cancer mortality for you and your loved ones, and for people all across BC.
Breathing is everything. Your donation helps patients – and their families – breathe easier.