Understanding airway mucus blockages in asthma, COPD, and chronic cough across Canada
Canadian Consortium for Understanding the Role of Airway Mucus Occlusions in Asthma, COPD and Chronic Cough
This project will use chest CT scans and clinical data to see if mucus plugs in the airways are linked to symptoms in adults with moderate-to-severe asthma, COPD, or chronic cough.
Quick facts
| Study type | Observational |
|---|---|
| Enrollment | 240 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | McMaster University Academic / other |
| Locations | 6 sites (Vancouver, British Columbia and 5 other locations) |
| Trial ID | NCT06858748 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This observational consortium brings together clinicians, scientists, and patient partners across Canada to quantify airway mucus occlusions using chest computed tomography and standardized clinical assessments. Adults with physician-confirmed moderate-to-severe asthma, COPD by GOLD criteria, or refractory/unexplained chronic cough, plus healthy volunteers, will be enrolled and imaged. Centralized image analysis will identify and measure mucus plugs and correlate those findings with symptoms, lung function, and clinical scores. The project will create a shared dataset and standard methods to support future research and potential targeted treatments.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Adults (≥18) with physician-confirmed moderate-to-severe asthma, moderate-to-severe COPD per GOLD criteria, or refractory/unexplained chronic cough lasting >1 year, as well as healthy volunteers with normal spirometry, are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Pregnant or breastfeeding people, current smokers, and individuals with milder disease or without CT evidence of mucus occlusion are unlikely to receive direct benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help clinicians identify patients whose symptoms are driven by mucus blockages and guide development or selection of mucus-directed therapies.
How similar studies have performed: CT-based visualization and quantification of airway mucus is an emerging approach with some encouraging prior reports, but a coordinated multi-center national consortium using these methods is relatively novel.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Males and females (≥18 years old) Asthma: Respiratory physician confirmed diagnosis of moderate-to-severe asthma and Historical objective evidence of asthma and/or specialist/respirologist confirmation (post-bronchodilator reversibility and/or methacholine bronchoprovocation test \<8 mg/mL) COPD: Respiratory physician confirmed diagnosis of COPD that is moderate-to-severe according to GOLD criteria (post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC\<LLN and FEV1\< 80%pred) and CAT score ≥10 or mMRC score ≥ 2 Chronic cough: Refractory Chronic Cough (RCC) and Unexplained Chronic Cough (UCC) lasting \>1 year with Normal chest radiograph and no airflow obstruction (FEV1/FVC \>Lower Limit of Normal) Healthy participants: No history of respiratory disease or other pulmonary disorders and no use of inhaled medications or corticosteroids with normal spirometry and Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) Dyspnea Scale =\<1 Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant or breastfeeding * Current smoker or \>10 yr pack history or smoked within the last 6 months * Exacerbation within 4 weeks of recruitment * Preterm birth (≤36 weeks gestation) or perinatal complications * History of other pulmonary disorders * Specialist/Respirologist suspects primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) * Current use of mucolytic medications * Memory, cognitive, or psychiatric limitations that may prevent optimal participation * Treatment with current biologic therapy: anti-IgE mAb within 130 days, anti-IL-4/4R, IL-5/5R, IL-13, or TSLP within 2 months or 5 half-lives whichever is longer prior to visit 1
Where this trial is running
Vancouver, British Columbia and 5 other locations
- St. Paul's Hospital — Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Not_yet_recruiting)
- St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton — Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (Recruiting)
- Robarts Research Institute — London, Ontario, Canada (Not_yet_recruiting)
- The Ottawa Hospital — Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Not_yet_recruiting)
- Quebec Heart and Lung Institute - Laval University — Québec, Quebec, Canada (Not_yet_recruiting)
- Université de Sherbrooke — Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada (Not_yet_recruiting)
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.