Using proteins to detect lung diseases

Proteins made by the lungs (known as pneumoproteins) can act as biomarkers for detecting or predicting the course of lung diseases like sarcoidosis.

Pneumoproteins are usually found in low concentrations in the blood; in patients with lung diseases, this concentration can rise sharply. This is put forward by Rob Janssen in his doctoral thesis. Sarcoidosis is the most common interstitial lung disease (conditions affecting the area between the walls of the alveoli and the blood vessels) – between 10 and 40 people out of every 100,000 suffer from this condition. Another common lung disease is caused by inhaling organic material, including that from birds.

Janssen received his PhD from Utrecht University on September 13. His thesis is titled 'Pneumoproteins in interstitial lung diseases'.