BUSM’s Ikonomou Awarded $80,000 for Pediatric Lung Research

Laertis Ikonomou, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at BUSM, is the recipient of an American Thoracic Society Foundation/Children’s Interstitial Lung Disease Foundation Grant to study genetic mutations in children with interstitial lung disease (ChILD).

The grant provides $40,000 in funding per year for two years.

Interstitial lung disease includes a large group of lung disorders, most of which cause progressive scarring of lung tissue. This scarring eventually makes breathing more difficult and interferes with the ability of oxygen to enter the bloodstream. There is currently no treatment beyond supportive care for those with ChILD disorders, due in part to a lack of understanding of the causes of the disease.

The ATS Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American Thoracic Society, whose mission is to improve health worldwide by advancing research, clinical care and public health in respiratory disease, critical illness and sleep disorders. The mission of the Children’s Interstitial Lung Disease Foundation is to provide support, education and hope to families affected with a pediatric interstitial lung disease and to advocate and raise funds for scientific research.