Rethinking COPD Research: International Seminar on November 6-7, 2025, in Prague
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects over 400 million people worldwide, posing a major global health challenge. With no curative therapy available and a staggering socio-economic burden, the need for innovative solutions has never been greater. To address this, leading scientists, clinicians, and early-career researchers will convene for the third international research seminar initiated by members of the COPD-iNET network.
Taking place on November 6-7, 2025, in Prague, Czech Republic, as part of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) congress, the seminar “Regenerating the Lung – A Multidisciplinary Approach to Combat COPD” will provide a unique platform to explore key challenges and advance lung regeneration strategies.
A Collaborative Approach to COPD Research
Organized and chaired by by Dr. Mareike Lehmann (Helmholtz Munich) and with Suzanne Cloonan (Trinity College Dublin), this seminar aims to bridge the gap between basic, translational, and clinical research. In collaboration with COPD-iNET, an international COPD research network led by Prof. Önder Yildirim, Director at the Institute of Lung Health and Immunity, the event seeks to foster interdisciplinary cooperation essential for groundbreaking discoveries. By bringing together clinicians, epidemiologists, biologists, pharmacologists, and pathologists, the seminar will identify knowledge gaps, define key research questions, and push the boundaries of COPD research. The focus will be on early disease pathogenesis, disease phenotyping, and lung regeneration.
Transforming COPD Research – Addressing Disease Complexity
Despite being the third-leading cause of death worldwide, COPD remains poorly understood at the cellular and molecular level. Traditionally associated with smoking, it is now clear that only a fraction of exposed individuals develop the disease, and 25-40 percenet of COPD patients have never smoked.
Evidence suggests that genetic predisposition, environmental exposures across the life course, early-life factors, aging, and lifestyle choices all contribute to COPD development. A major hurdle remains the identification of distinct disease endotypes, early detection strategies, and the molecular mechanisms driving disease progression. Current diagnostic approaches have remained largely unchanged for decades, failing to account for disease heterogeneity—one of the main reasons for ineffective therapies and unsuccessful clinical trials.
To tackle these challenges, COPD-iNET fosters collaboration among experts and early-career researchers, supporting cutting-edge research, state-of-the-art human in vitro models, and advanced systems biology approaches.
A Call to Action for the Global COPD Research Community
This seminar will serve as a catalyst for expanding COPD-iNET and fostering sustained collaboration beyond the event. By uniting international experts and driving interdisciplinary cooperation, it represents a major opportunity to transform COPD research and accelerate progress toward lung regeneration and new treatment strategies.
Whether you are a basic researcher investigating disease mechanisms, a translational scientist developing new therapies, or a clinician seeking to improve patient outcomes, your expertise is crucial.
Join this pioneering effort in Prague in 2025 and be part of a movement redefining the fight against COPD. Together, we can push the boundaries of science and work towards a future where lung regeneration and curative therapies become a reality.
Register here: Regenerating the lung - a multidisciplinary approach to combat COPD? - 6-7 NOVEMBER, 2025 - ERS Respiratory Channel