The Lundquist Institute (TLI) Receives Grant from the Johnny Carson Foundation to Support the Training of the Next Generation of COPD Researchers

LOS ANGELES (May 31, 2022) — The Lundquist Institute has announced that it has received a grant of $112,000 from the Johnny Carson Foundation to support the training of the next generation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) researchers at its Institute of Respiratory Medicine and Exercise Physiology, a world-leading venue for respiratory medicine research spanning basic and clinical science. This Institute Within the Institute (IWI) at TLI aims to identify mechanisms, develop diagnostic tools, and test treatments for respiratory disease. It aims to achieve this by nurturing and promoting research activities in the fields of physiology and medicine involving the lungs, heart, blood, muscles, and the immune and nervous systems for patients in whom shortness-of breath and exercise intolerance are major symptoms.

“We are elated to have received this generous grant from the Johnny Carson Foundation,” said Harry Rossiter, PhD, Co-Director of the Institute of Respiratory Medicine and Exercise Physiology and Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “This grant will go toward our unique research training program that brings together basic, translational, and clinical researchers, devoted to the understanding of physiological impacts of chronic respiratory disorders on respiratory and physical function and to translate this knowledge into therapeutic strategies. Our research efforts are embedded alongside the County Hospital system, focusing on patients from diverse and underserved backgrounds. This new support will build on our 25 years of research success to identify new COPD therapeutics, and our excellent track record in training the next generation of COPD researchers. We are also pleased to be addressing COPD, the very disease that Johnny Carson suffered from in his life.”

“We see this grant as an investment in the important research and training needed to treat respiratory disease,” said Allan Alexander, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Johnny Carson Foundation. “Having an impact on the future of respiratory medicine is a goal of our foundation and we look forward to seeing the results of this critical work.”

The Johnny Carson Foundation gift will support an immersive research training experience with rotations in basic, translational, and clinical research laboratories and specialization in a chosen area. Its main goal is to provide trainees with a comprehensive conceptual framework to understand breathing, respiration, and exercise in health and disease, develop ability to perform meaningful research investigations of these responses and confer the professional skills necessary to succeed in a competitive research environment.