New Institute Advances Lung Disease Research and Clinical Care with Scott Budinger, MD

The launch of the Simpson Querrey Lung Institute for Translational Science (SQLIFTS) aims to expedite the discovery and implementation of innovative lung disease treatments through a patient-centered, bedside-to-bench-to-bedside approach. In this episode, Scott Budinger, MD, the new executive director of the institute, discusses its launch and how it aims to transform lung disease research and clinical care. 

“The goal of this institute is really to develop a two-way street between our very robust high-volume, high-acuity clinical programs at Northwestern Medicine, along with our state-of-the-art and world-recognized research programs in fundamental lung biology, and to try to create some synergies between those two …to really think about ways that we can take information from patients, bring it to the lab, identify therapies, test those therapies in clinical trials and bring them to patient care.” — Scott Budinger, MD  

Episode Notes 

The Simpson Querrey Lung Institute for Translational Science (SQLIFTS) will lead to a new era of lung research, education and patient care, leveraging the transformative power of machine learning and artificial intelligence. 

  • Through a synergistic relationship between Northwestern Medicine's clinical programs and its globally recognized lung biology research programs, SQLIFTS will utilize input from lung disease patients, bring these inputs to the lab, identify therapies, test those therapies in clinical trials, and then bring these therapies back to patient care. 
  • The pace of discovery in the biomedical field is accelerating dramatically due to novel tools and technologies in AI and machine learning, Budinger says. In fact, the genesis of SQLIFTS was based on these very technologies, with a goal of developing an infrastructure based on lung disease first, with the hope of extending the infrastructure across the medical sciences.  
  • Given the extraordinary amount of clinical data that will be generated from this bedside-to-bench-to-bedside approach, a primary goal will be growing data science programs in both machine learning and artificial intelligence. The institute is focusing on recruiting, developing, and training data scientists in biology and clinical medicine to provide insights and develop new tools that can better integrate various kinds of data into clinical contexts. 
  • Machine learning and AI can be applied to a variety of data types including clinical data, multidimensional molecular data like genomic data, and spatial data. However, the integration of these data sets into a clinical context will require further innovation. 
  • Northwestern Medicine is only one of a handful of centers worldwide pioneering this innovative approach. The hope is that the institute will lead the way in developing a prototype for how these tools can be used to advance discovery and develop therapeutics, he says. 
  • Specific areas of research at SQLIFTS include lung aging, lung regeneration, pneumonia, and lung transplantation. Budinger, who specializes in lung aging, describes new research in better understanding how pneumonia is often a gateway into compounding multimorbidity that happens with advancing age. 
  • Prior to the pandemic, investigators had explored an unusual cell type in end-stage pulmonary fibrosis patients using single-cell RNA sequencing. During the COVID-19 outbreak, they observed similar lung complications in patients, and leveraged the same sequencing technologies through a warm autopsy program. These findings led to Northwestern Medicine conducting its first lung transplant on a COVID-19 patient. 
  • Regarding the future of SQLIFTS, Budinger envisions the possibility that every lung disease could have a molecular roadmap detailing disease development and potential treatments, customized to each patient's unique pathway. Using non-invasive procedures, doctors could predict and adjust treatments as necessary, creating a living model that improves care continually.  

Additional Reading 

  • Browse Budinger’s latest research 
  • Find out more about the $25 million gift that made the institute possible 
  • Listen to a past Breakthroughs podcast episode with Budinger  

Recorded on May 18, 2023.

 

Continuing Medical Education Credit

Physicians who listen to this podcast may claim continuing medical education credit after listening to an episode of this program.

Target Audience

Academic/Research, Multiple specialties

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to:

  1. Identify the research interests and initiatives of Feinberg faculty.
  2. Discuss new updates in clinical and translational research.

Accreditation Statement

The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation Statement

The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine designates this Enduring Material for a maximum of 0.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosure Statement

Scott Budinger, MD, has nothing to disclose. Course director, Robert Rosa, MD, has nothing to disclose. Planning committee member, Erin Spain, has nothing to disclose. Feinberg School of Medicine's CME Leadership and Staff have nothing to disclose: Clara J. Schroedl, MD, Medical Director of CME, Melissa Brugger, MD, Assistant Medical Director, Sheryl Corey, Manager of CME, Allison McCollum, Senior Program Coordinator, Katie Daley, Senior Program Coordinator, and Rhea Alexis Banks, Administrative Assistant 2.

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