title: The EvA study: aims and strategy.
abstract: The EvA study is a European Union-funded project under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), which aims at defining new markers for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and its subtypes. The acronym is derived from emphysema versus airway disease, indicating that the project targets these two main phenotypes of the disease. The EvA study is based on the concept that emphysema and airway disease are governed by different pathophysiological processes, are driven by different genes and have differential gene expression in the lung. To define these genes, patients and non-COPD controls are recruited for clinical examination, lung function analysis and computed tomography (CT) of the lung. CT scans are used to define the phenotypes based on lung density and airway wall thickness. This is followed by bronchoscopy in order to obtain samples from the airways and the alveoli. These tissue samples, along with blood samples, are then subjected to genome-wide expression and association analysis and markers linked to the phenotypes are identified. The population of the EvA study is different from other COPD study populations, since patients with current oral glucocorticoids, antibiotics and exacerbations or current smokers are excluded, such that the signals detected in the molecular analysis are due to the distinct inflammatory process of emphysema and airway disease in COPD.
authors.affiliation: EvA Study Center, Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen and Asklepios-Klinik, Gauting, Germany. Ziegler-Heitbrock@helmholtz-muenchen.de
authors.forename: Loems
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ziegler-Heitbrock
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frankenberger
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Heimbeck
authors.forename: Dorothe
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Burggraf
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wjst
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Häussinger
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brightling
authors.forename: Sumit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Parr
authors.forename: Deepak
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.forename: Dave
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Umme
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kolsum
authors.forename: Piera
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boschetto
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Potena
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gorecka
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nowinski
authors.forename: Imre
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Barta
authors.forename: Balazs
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Döme
authors.forename: Janos
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Strausz
authors.forename: Timm
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Greulich
authors.forename: Claus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vogelmeier
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bals
authors.forename: Jens M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hohlfeld
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Welte
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Venge
authors.forename: Ivo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gut
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boland
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Olaso
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hager
authors.forename: Pieter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hiemstra
authors.forename: Klaus F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Rabe
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Unmüssig
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Müller-Quernheim
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prasse
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001982:Bronchial Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015870:Gene Expression; D005819:Genetic Markers; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000235:genetics*; D011656:Pulmonary Emphysema / Q000235:genetics*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers