Clinical Trials and Research for Lung Transplants

Henry Ford is a national leader in improving treatments for lung disease. Our patients can try new therapies designed to improve lung function while awaiting a lung transplant.

Improving lung disease care and transplants at Henry Ford

Henry Ford researchers are involved in studies to:

• Increase the number of donor lungs suitable for transplant: An experimental process allows our doctors to transplant donor lungs previously considered unfit due to poor oxygenation. Donor lungs are placed on an ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) machine. This machine improves the health of the lung by warming it, removing excess fluids, and providing fluids, nutrients and oxygen.
• Develop new treatments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Earlier research findings from Henry Ford led to the development of new national standards of treatment for COPD. Learn more about our COPD research.
• Identify sarcoidosis causes and treatments: Our researchers have been studying the causes of this genetic inflammatory lung disorder for nearly 60 years. We are also focused on developing new treatments. We helped identify racial differences in disease symptoms that are still in use in research today. Learn more about our sarcoidosis research.